Pre-Budget Fiscal Statement: Equality and Fairer Scotland Impact Assessment

Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands

Agreed saving: Land reform – ongoing implementation and development of land reform policy

Description: Due to a revision in forecasts from the Land Reform budget

£million (reduction): 0.5

Equality and fairness – evidence and impact analysis:

These savings are anticipated from reprofiling of activity. At this stage, there is no quantifiable impact from the savings

Agreed saving: Animal Licences

Description: Release of Animal Licences Budget

£million (reduction): 0.1

Equality and fairness – evidence and impact analysis:

The budget was not expected to spend so there is no quantifiable impact from the savings

Agreed saving: Community Led Local Development (CLLD) – This budget creates and preserves jobs in rural communities and supports economic, social, and environmental well-being by supporting community projects.

Description: This £800k budget was intended to fund continuation of the CLLD collaboration fund - a challenge fund to which Local Action Groups (LAGs) would directly apply to support better partnership working, on the proviso that they would work with at least one other LAG or other relevant CLLD partner. The fund would have looked to build the capacity of rural grassroots groups and other key stakeholders to lead & participate in collaborative projects

£million (reduction): 0.8

Equality and fairness – evidence and impact analysis:

This work would have aimed to improve outcomes for people living in rural areas, where there are unique challenges and opportunities.

CLLD work has helped to address rural poverty in previous years. Social Return on Investment (SORI) analysis for the 2023/24 financial year indicated that CLLD had a positive impact on reducing poverty to the value of approx. £250,000 across rural Scotland.