Make your voice heard in crofting elections

Make your voice heard in the future of crofting and the regulation of crofters.

The Crofting Commission elections are coming. Crofters are being urged to stand as candidates and to use their votes. The commission is the regulator of the crofting system, with commissioners responsible for promoting the interests of crofting and advising Scottish ministers.

The postal poll in March is being held to appoint commissioners for the six crofting constituencies:

• East Highlands
• Orkney and Caithness
• Shetland
• South West Highlands
• West Highlands
• Western Isles

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity Fergus Ewing said:

"Next year will see the second ever elections to the Crofting Commission and it is crucial that our 16,000 crofters interests are well represented.

"To achieve that, we need people with a commitment to ensuring a longer term future for crofting to stand for election. It’s also so important that all crofters make their voices heard by voting in March’s election."

Crofting Commission Interim Chief Executive, Bill Barron said:

"We urge everyone eligible to vote to participate in the upcoming Crofting elections and play their part in helping to secure the future of crofting."

The Scottish Government aims to have a commission that represents and reflects the crofting community. There are around 16,000 crofters living and working across Scotland’s Highlands and islands - a third are women and 12 percent are under 40.

You can stand for election or nominate someone you believe could represent crofting. You can also make sure you use your vote in March and play your part in helping to secure the future of crofting.

The deadline for registrations to stand as a commissioner is Thursday 26 January 2017.

For more information visit www.gov.scot/crofting.