Labour councillor Ben Williams (Fochabers-Lhanbryde) has called on local people and groups to respond to ScotGov’s current land reform consultation.
Explaining the importance of the issue, Cllr Williams said, “Land reform might seem like a niche issue, but it affects many everyday things like the availability, affordability and quality of housing.
“The way land is owned and managed has a huge effect on the rate of rainwater run-off, which then exacerbates or reduces flooding in communities like Kingston and Garmouth.
“We are in a cost of living crisis, yet Moray is rich in land that is being used for wind farms, wood fuel and carbon sequestration.
“We need meaningful land reform to ensure that natural wealth is shared more widely.”
Cllr Williams continued, “One of the questions in the consultation concerns whether landowners who don’t pay tax in the UK should be entitled to public subsidies.
“This question was included thanks to my Labour colleague Rhoda Grant MSP challenging her SNP counterpart on the issue, and we are keen to see what the public response to this is.”
The consultation ‘Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation’ is open until 30th October, and can be found here: https://consult.gov.scot/agriculture-and-rural-economy/land-reform-net-zero-scotland/consultation/
“We are in a cost of living crisis, yet Moray is rich in land that is being used for wind farms, wood fuel and carbon sequestration. We need meaningful land reform to ensure that natural wealth is shared more widely.” Cllr Ben Williams
