The REVIVE Coalition Conference in Perth brought together around 400 people on Saturday 8 November to discuss the next steps in Scotland’s land reform journey, just days after the passing of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill. Hosted by actor David Hayman, the conference launched REVIVE’s Land Reform Manifesto and presented findings from The Big Land Question, the largest independent study of Scottish attitudes to land ownership ever conducted.
The gathering put Scotland’s extreme concentration of land ownership into stark perspective, with roughly the same number of people in the room, as own more than half of Scotland’s private rural land (421 people).
Max Wiszniewski, Campaign Manager for the REVIVE Coalition, said:
“Today’s conference demonstrates the growing movement for real land reform in Scotland. When around 400 people gather to discuss how land should be owned and managed, it’s impossible to ignore that roughly the same number – just 421 – control half of Scotland’s private rural land. This is one of the most concentrated patterns of land ownership in the world.
“The Land Reform Bill passed this week is a step forward, but as the Cabinet Secretary herself said, “we have more work to do.” Our manifesto sets out what that work should be in the next Parliament.”
The manifesto’s demands
The manifesto calls for land reform that benefits all of Scotland’s people, communities, wildlife, and environment. A Land Tax (Scotland) Bill should be introduced to discourage land hoarding and speculation, alongside limits on the amount of land any single person, family or company can own. Large land purchases should be restricted to Scottish and UK taxpayers, and a publicly accessible online map should show who owns what land and how it’s used.
REVIVE believes the next parliament should create 10,000 new crofts and common spaces across Scotland and increase the Scottish Land Fund to £25mn to enable more community buyouts, alongside a community wealth fund should be established to seed locally-owned revenue generating projects.
A new Land Reform Bill in the next parliament should include a strong public interest test, with landowners obligated to act in the public interest rather than simply being incentivised by subsidies. Compulsory Purchase and Sales Orders should be used to break up concentrated ownership where landowners fail to meet public interest standards, and the Scottish National Investment Bank should be mobilised to finance land reform in the public interest.
More rural homes should be designated for permanent residents rather than holiday lets, and a policy should be developed to resettle previously inhabited areas and create sustainable new communities. Public sector pension investments should be redirected away from unethical investments towards sustainable alternatives like social housing and renewables.
REVIVE is also calling for Scotland to adopt the International Consensus Principles for Ethical Wildlife Control nationwide and designate and begin rewilding and reforesting at least 30% of land and seas by 2030. Peatland restoration must be drastically expanded with all peatland burning ended, and a just transition away from driven grouse shooting and other intensively managed sport shooting estates should be implemented to enhance biodiversity and protect wildlife. The Scottish Government has already committed to working with the Scottish Greens to address one of REVIVE’s asks, ending ‘Small Business Bonus’ relief for sport shooting estates, which currently effectively gives large landowners 100% tax breaks as ‘small businesses’.
The Survey: The Big Land Question
The Big Land Question was the largest independent study of Scottish attitudes to land ownership, conducted by the Diffley Partnership over eight months. It included a representative survey of 2,041 Scottish adults, an open consultation with 1,390 responses, focus groups, and stakeholder roundtables.
Key findings:
- 78% supported requiring large landowners to meet climate and nature targets
- 67% supported a land tax for large landowners
- 80% said the Scottish Government should do more to encourage community ownership
- 59% agreed Scotland would benefit from more diverse land ownership
- 50% supported government action to break up large landholdings
- 63% felt more should be done to help people own and manage land
Conference speakers included:
- David Hayman (actor and land reform advocate)
- Lesley Riddoch (broadcaster and author)
- Author and land reform campaigner Andy Wightman
- Mark Diffley (Founder and Director, Diffley Partnership)
- MSPs from Scottish Labour, Scottish Greens, and SNP
For more information visit Revive.
This article is based on a press release by Revive.
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