Rural Delivery plan – will the Scottish Government give rural Scotland the attention it deserves?

The SCA recently responded to the Scottish Government consultation on the Rural Delivery plan, which closed on 17 March. Respondents were given only one month to complete the consultation, which was an inadequate period of time to fully collate responses from all interested parties and organisations. It is essential that a wide pool of responses are collected to ensure the Scottish Government get a full and unbiased view of the current state of living and working in mainland rural Scotland.

Why are the Scottish Government writing a Rural Delivery Plan?

The Scottish Government has committed to publishing a Rural Delivery plan setting out how all parts of the Scottish Government are delivering for Scotland’s rural communities. This plan is due to be published by May 2026, when the current Parliament is dissolved ready for the election.

The Rural Delivery Plan will act as a framework to consider the full breadth of policy delivery in mainland rural Scotland. The National Islands Plan will cover how the Scottish Government will deliver for the island communities in rural Scotland.

The Rural Delivery Plan will cover a range of key areas, such as agriculture, marine, land reform, transport, housing, social justice, population, skills, digital connectivity, economic development, and health and social care.

Read our full response to this consultation here.about this blogabout this blog