Rural Communities Policy
What is the project?
The Scottish Government commissioned a review of three
core elements of their funding and support for rural communities: Community Led
Local Development (CLLD), Scottish Rural Action (SRA) and the Scottish Rural
Network (SRN). The evidence generated in this project will inform the new
rural Scotland support system which will deliver the provisions of the
Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024.
This project delivers an evidence base to inform this new rural Scotland policy support system. It has been undertaken by a team led by SRUC (Rural Policy Centre), University of the Highlands and Islands (Perth), and Ipsos.
What is the approach?
The project combines existing evidence on rural community interventions (including what works well and what are the barriers and challenges) with theories of change for each element, and new evidence collection with rural communities. The team designed a multi-stage approach to deliver this project, grounded in our desire to undertake research which is creative as well as equitable and ethical.
The research considers how CLLD, SRA and SRN have:
- delivered objectives
- fit strategically with wider public and third sector support
- experienced challenges and opportunities
The approach also:
- recognises innovation as one of the core principles of community led local development
- acknowledges concerns around research and consultation fatigue amongst stakeholders and communities
Insights will generate options and recommendations to inform the future rural community development support.
How will this be done?
There are four project stages:
- Stage 1: Theory of change
- Stage 2: Evidence review, including international case studies
- Stage 3: Fieldwork, including with those involved in CLLD, SRA and SRN, place-based research, and with young people
- Stage 4: Reporting
What are timescales?
Fieldwork took place in 2025, as did publications on the theories of change, policy and delivery context, and international case studies.
Evidence reports will be published in March 2026, and policy recommendations in June 2026.
More details are on the publications page of this project.
How do I ask questions ?
Please click on the links to the right or below to find about different aspects of the project.
The principle investigator for the project is Jane Atterton, and you can email her at jane.atterton@sruc.ac.uk.
