Communities across rural Scotland will share £57.7m to grow local economies, improve rural facilities and conserve the environment, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Richard Lochhead has announced.

The funding, under the LEADER programme, is the first tranche of money to be released under the £1.6bn Scotland Rural Development Programme, designed to empower communities at the grass-roots level. 

Sixteen Local Action Groups (LAGs) across rural Scotland will administer the funds, after each successfully applied for funding to be used to implement high-quality local development strategies for their respective areas. It is anticipated that a further four LAGs will be formed in the second round, which opened yesterday.

LEADER is divided into two main allocations - £38.5m for the whole of rural Scotland and an additional £19.2m for the Highlands and Islands.

The £57.7m, a joint allocation by the Scottish Government and European Union, will be matched at a local level by public and private funds - potentially doubling the figure.

Lochhead said: “This is a massive investment in rural Scotland which will see decisions taken in local areas on how best to support a wide range of grass-roots community projects.

“The fact that all funding decisions are to be taken locally will greatly empower community decision-making and ensure only those projects which will make a real difference to rural Scotland will be selected.

“I would like to encourage rural communities to now seize the opportunities presented by this funding and take control of their own future development.”

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