Rural services

£20 million referendum funding will support people struggling with their energy bills.

Thousands of vulnerable households will be supported by the continuation of the Scottish Government’s uprated £20 million Fuel Insecurity Fund.

Protection for Scotland’s nature is set to be urgently scaled up, with 26 priority actions to restore Scotland’s natural environment and halt the loss of biodiversity by 2030.

Projects to restore rivers in the Cairngorms and protect the rainforest in Argyll are among the initiatives that will share £7.6 million through the latest round of the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund.

This round is focussed on supporting large scale projects, including multi-year projects that run up to 2026.

Today (15 December 2022), the Scottish Government published its 2023-24 budget which sets out proposed spending and tax plans for 2023 to 2024, as presented to the Scottish Parliament.

Chapter 10 covers Rural Affairs and Islands covering allocations for:

For the first time in the UK, a mental wellbeing app is being rolled out to young farmers in a pilot scheme to support young people in the Scottish agricultural industry.

Today saw the publication of research on how local and regional economic development policies can contribute to reducing child poverty in Scotland.

Islanders most impacted by the cost of living crisis will be able to access additional help. The Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund will target immediate support to those who are struggling due to the cost of living crisis, either through existing schemes or new support.

The road to zero carbon: your community pub addressing climate change

Are you involved in setting up a community owned pub in Scotland and want to embed good green practices from the very start? Or is your pub already trading and you are looking at ways to transition to net zero whilst reducing your energy costs and addressing the needs of your community?

There is still time to take part in the future Agriculture Bill consultation which closes on the 5th December 2022! 

The Scottish Government is committed to realising its Vision for Agriculture and transforming how they support farming and food production in Scotland to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

The Places and Health programme at the University of Glasgow have today published a nationwide equity assessment of the 20-minute neighbourhood policy in Scotland.

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