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Annual Rural Report 2004
Ministerial Foreword
In March last year, we produced our first report on the Scottish Executive's achievements for rural Scotland in the form of a stocktake report - Rural Scotland: Taking Stock. I indicated then that I did not see this as the end of the process, but rather the beginning of a job that we have, to report progress towards our vision for rural Scotland.
Our vision is for a rural Scotland where people matter.
We're committed to maintaining strong, prosperous and growing communities and:
- a strong and diverse rural economy, harnessing traditional strengths and with an appetite for change;
- a rural Scotland where everyone can enjoy a decent quality of life, where the young are not forced to leave their communities to get on and where the vulnerable are no longer excluded;
- a rural Scotland where people enjoy public services that are accessible, of the highest possible quality and with the greatest possible choice;
- a rural Scotland whose natural and cultural heritage flourishes in all its diversity.
Achieving this vision will take time. This report is a chance to take stock on the progress we're making. It is the second of what I intend to be a series of annual reports on how I and my colleagues are delivering on policies that make a difference for the people of rural Scotland. This year's report is the first since the Scottish Parliamentary Election in May 2003 and it reports progress so far on the commitments we outlined in Partnership for a Better Scotland, our programme for government in Scotland for the next 4 years. Of course, it is more than just what we do - we do this by working together with others at all levels. There are many examples of good progress at a local level - the case studies in the report reflect this.
This report describes our progress together from May 2003 to date. I believe we have made significant ground already for those living and working in rural Scotland. But we cannot be complacent: the report also flags up some of the challenges we face in the years ahead. More can still be done. I look forward to telling you in our next report of ways in which the lives of rural communities have been improved in the year ahead.
Ross Finnie MSP
Minister for Environment and
Rural Development
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