The Scottish Government

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Annual Rural Report 2004

Providing opportunity to those who need it most

We are committed to closing the opportunity gap between the most well-off in society and those who suffer disadvantage and deprivation. We are working on tackling the barriers to social inclusion in rural Scotland through targeting both those areas that are most deprived and those individuals who are most vulnerable. We are regenerating rural communities where there are persistently high levels of unemployment and increasing the availability of affordable housing. We are providing opportunities for children and young people to grow and develop, and for adults to access employment through support with childcare and financial support.
We recognise the role of the voluntary sector and the valuable contribution volunteers can make to these objectives.

What we have achieved:

• We have ensured that parents are offered the support they need in the crucial early stages of a child's life by significantly expanding the Sure Start Scotland programme, targeting support at vulnerable families with very young children.
• The Working for Families Fund has been made available for the delivery of services providing access to flexible and affordable childcare enabling parents in disadvantaged areas and groups to move towards or into employment. Dumfries and Galloway was awarded 350,000 in 2003-04 to pilot initiatives which would take account of the specific difficulties experienced by parents returning to work in rural areas, for example, access to services, transport and the availability of childcare at suitable hours. Following on from this work, Dumfries & Galloway have been awarded a further 600,000 in each of 2004-05 and 2005-06 to develop these initiatives further. Highland Council has also been included in the roll-out of the funding to take forward the development of similar strategies.
• Under the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund we have provided Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway and Western Isles councils with 6.75 million in
  01-02/03-04 and a further 3 million in 04-05 to improve the quality or quantity of local services for disadvantaged rural communities.
• In 2003-04, Communities Scotland spent 59 million in rural areas with 52 million on social rented accommodation, 5 million on low-cost home ownership dwellings and 2 million on social and environmental works related to housing. This will lead to the approval of over 1400 new homes. An additional 10 million (5 million in 2004-05 and 5 million in 2005-06) was announced in October 2003 to increase further the level of housing investment in rural Scotland. The percentage share of the Communities Scotland development programme allocated to rural areas is at an historic high having increased from 19% in 1999-2000 to 25% in 2003-04. We launched a comprehensive review of affordable housing in Scotland in 2004.
• In December 2003, Forestry Minister, Allan Wilson, and Communities Minister, Margaret Curran, announced that Forestry Commission Scotland and Communities Scotland will look at the potential for releasing national forest land to increase the supply of affordable housing. In many rural areas, the lack of available land and a high demand for retirement, or second homes, has pushed housing beyond the means of many local people. Forestry Commission Scotland and Communities Scotland are examining the potential to match suitable sites to areas of high demand where registered social landlords have encountered difficulties in obtaining land.
• We launched the Scottish Credit Union Capacity Fund in September 2003 and, to date, two rural credit unions have secured funding. The fund is intended to help existing credit unions to: raise their profile in communities, expand their membership so that at least 5% of all Scots are credit union members by 2005, expand the services they offer - to include financial services such as money and budgeting advice or schemes targeting young people, and to encourage healthy ways of spending and saving.
• We have recently boosted the funding to Money Advice by a further 2 million to support vulnerable groups and an additional 2 million will be available in 2005-06 to help frontline money advisers cope with demand for Debt Arrangement Schemes available under the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002.
• Fuel poverty across Scotland is being tackled through Warm Deal allocations to Local Authorities which will allow them to improve the heating and energy efficiency of homes, and improve the quality of many people's lives. This year funding can be used to extend the gas network, a measure that is especially beneficial in rural areas.
• Homelessness services in Highland received 250,000 from the Executive's Rough Sleepers Initiative. This will allow the purchase of accommodation to be used as a first stop for households in Skye and Lochalsh, Lochaber and Easter Ross who find themselves homeless. This will allow them to stay in their own locality, close to jobs, schools and family.
• We have funded the creation of 750 new public internet access points (PIAPs) in villages and towns throughout Scotland in places like post offices, pubs, community centres and shops. A full independent evaluation is underway, but early indications are that the scheme has been very successful with 98% of respondents feeling that access to a PIAP had improved their IT skills to at least some degree. We are also working with libraries to develop enhanced public internet access points, trialling WIFI to provide broadband access for libraries in largely rural areas where there are no cost-effective alternatives.
• Forestry Commission Scotland with their education partners, have developed TreeTrunk on-line: a comprehensive environmental education resource for teachers to support the delivery of specific areas of the Early Years, 5-14, Standard Grade and National Qualifications curricula. Additionally, Education Rangers have been introduced, who deliver environmental education programmes in rural schools.
• We are continuing to support local authorities in developing school Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, and have offered financial support for projects across Scotland, including predominantly rural areas such as Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Highland, Moray and Scottish Borders. The total capital value involved in these areas alone is around 0.5 billion. Aberdeenshire and Highland are also benefiting from financial support for earlier PPP projects which have provided new and refurbished schools opened in 2002 and 2003. Rural schools have also had buildings improved through the Schools Fund capital grant, which has more than doubled to a total of 76.7 million across Scotland in 2004-05, and from the substantial general capital resources which local authorities have available to them.
• 4 million per annum is provided to the 32 local authority-led Community Safety Partnerships to assist them in identifying and addressing local community safety priorities. The key community safety themes are reducing crime and the fear of crime; tackling alcohol and drug-related crime; diverting young people away from criminal and antisocial behaviour; changing attitudes and modifying behaviour; improving road, home and fire safety.
  In 2003-04 Dumfries & Galloway received over 100,000.
  They have funded a number of initiatives including drama groups visiting schools to tackle drug awareness, safety leaflets for tourists and visitors, free advanced driving tuition for recently qualified 17-21 year olds and home safety audits.
  An additional 1 million was provided to Community Safety Partnerships in summer 2003 and will be provided again in summer 2004 to give young Scots access to a wide range of constructive summer holiday sport and leisure activities aimed at diverting them from petty crime and antisocial behaviour. For example, Highland were given 33,803 last year and chose to organise Summer Swim Week and Twilight Bus Service on 16 routes to pools as well as an activity programme in Alness including drums, street jam, craft, mosaic and disco. 12,566 free junior swims were provided (52% increase on previous year of 8,279). There was also 1,240 take ups of activities in Alness. During the period the activities were available there was a 5% reduction in calls to the police in respect of children/young people and breach of the peace and noise.
• We published the revised Scottish Compact between the Scottish Executive, its agencies, NDPBs and the voluntary sector which provides the foundation of our partnership, a relationship based on appreciation and mutual trust.
• We have published the Scottish Executive Volunteering Strategy, which aims to embed a robust culture of volunteering in Scotland.
• We are looking at how best to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in rural areas. The Executive supported a conference in Inverness in September 2003 which looked at the issues facing these communities in rural Scotland.

CASE STUDIES

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