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We aim to work with others to take forward this new approach. |
Our intention in this document has been to set out the Executive's vision for rural Scotland and to demonstrate how, through our policies and activities, we are taking a new approach, within the Executive, to rural areas and rural issues. This approach is based on acknowledging and valuing rural Scotland for its distinctiveness and for the contribution which it makes to Scotland as a whole. It is about understanding the priorities and needs of rural Scotland, and how rural circumstances are different. And, it is about tackling rural issues and problems in ways that are sensitive to and appropriate for rural areas.
In producing this document, we deliberately did not intend it to be a comprehensive statement of how our vision will be achieved. Some of the aspirations will take a long time to achieve and all will require the involvement of other organisations and of the people who live and work in rural areas. An important part of this approach is therefore how we move it forward and how we build on the work which is already taking place. This is a document which focuses on the work of the Executive but much of the expertise and power to achieve the vision lies elsewhere - in rural communities and the organisations which work with them. We all need to become better at linking together that expertise and agreeing common objectives based on an acknowledgement of the issue, an understanding of its nature and the ability to tackle it. There is a challenge in this for everyone. Different policy areas are at different stages of this process, so it would be wrong to develop a single approach. Some of the solutions are far from easy and the concerns are not always well expressed. Rural issues often need to be dealt with at a local level to reflect varying priorities across Scotland. But what they all have in common is a need to link together those who understand what is needed and those who can effect the changes.
We therefore propose:
to ensure that rural communities and rural interests have an opportunity to express their views on the matters covered by this document. A wide range of consultative and advisory mechanisms already exist, both nationally and locally, but we propose to review these and to supplement them where necessary;
to work with COSLA and the Community Planning National Steering Group to ensure that community planning is rolled out in ways which ensure that the rural voice is heard and the needs of rural areas are prioritised;
to work up proposals which allow rural policy agendas to be debated and tackled. Sometimes this will be about how to tackle identified needs. Other times it will be about gaining a better understanding of a problem or acknowledging an overlooked opportunity. We will begin by facilitating conferences and/or workshops across Scotland targeted at issues of particular concern to rural communities;
to continue to monitor Executive policies as they are being developed to ensure that the rural dimension is being taken into account;
that the Ministerial Committee on Rural Development should receive regular reports on the outcome of the above steps to allow Ministers to reflect the views expressed in Executive policies; and
to develop, in conjunction with other organisations, methods of tracking
the process of acknowledging, understanding and tackling issues so
that we are in a position to measure progress against the aims set out in
this document.