Rural Policy in the Scottish Government

Rural Renewal Bill

Rural and island communities are central to Scotland’s identity, economy and future. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting their long-term prosperity and sustainability.

To help create the conditions for success, prosperity and sustainability in rural communities, the Scottish Government intends to introduce a Rural Renewal Bill.

As set out in 100 Days of a New SNP Government, the Scottish Government has begun consulting stakeholders across rural Scotland on the Bill’s potential scope. The consultation aims to gather feedback and ideas from rural communities and explore how rural policy, including non-legislative measures, can respond to the opportunities and challenges facing rural Scotland.

The Bill will build on existing evidence and recommendations, including those from the National Council of Rural Advisers and the Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review (2024 to 2026).

As part of the Rural Renewal Bill scoping process, the Scottish Government is also exploring ways to strengthen rural impact assessments. It is committed to ensuring that policies work effectively for rural communities, recognising both the distinct challenges they face and the opportunities they offer.

In April 2025, the Scottish Government introduced the Rural Assessment Toolkit to support a consistent approach to considering rural impacts during policy development and to help officials better understand the needs, challenges and opportunities of rural communities and businesses. The Toolkit provides a framework for identifying how policies may affect rural areas, communities and businesses, helping officials make better-informed decisions. Early engagement with rural stakeholders and communities is a key principle of this approach.

Through the Rural Renewal Bill and its wider programme of rural policy development, the Scottish Government aims to support rural communities and businesses to realise their potential and contribute to a sustainable and prosperous future for Scotland.

Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review

The Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review (2024 to 2026) is an independent study commissioned by the Scottish Government and led by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) in partnership with Ipsos and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).

The review explores the roles and impacts of the Scottish Rural Network, Scottish Rural Action and Community Led Local Development, structured across four stages: theories of change, evidence review, fieldwork and final reporting. Findings will inform future rural community policy.

The final outputs of the Review were published in June 2026 and brought together the evidence collected during the project, providing options and practical recommendations for the roles and delivery of Community Led Local Development, Scottish Rural Network and Scottish Rural Action.

The review found strong and cross-cutting participant support for community-led approaches, as delivered through Scottish Rural Network, Scottish Rural Action and Community Led Local Development. Collectively, these mechanisms enhance rural capacity, enable innovation and support more responsive, place-based decision-making.

Community Led Local Development was seen as effective in empowering communities and supporting locally tailored solutions, while Scottish Rural Action played a distinctive role in articulating rural voices and lived experience within policy making processes. Scottish Rural Network contributed through facilitating knowledge exchange and networking. We provide delivery recommendations aimed at making the most of these strengths.

The findings point to the need for a more coherent and integrated rural community support system, in which Scottish Rural Network, Scottish Rural Action and Community Led Local Development operate as complementary components with clearly defined and mutually reinforcing roles.

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