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'Radical' Scottish land reform plan unveiled 'Radical' Scottish land reform plan unveiled
(about 3 hours later)
The Scottish government has published "radical" proposals aimed at widening the ownership of land across the country.The Scottish government has published "radical" proposals aimed at widening the ownership of land across the country.
It has been estimated that half of the privately-owned land in Scotland is controlled by 432 people.It has been estimated that half of the privately-owned land in Scotland is controlled by 432 people.
The Land Reform Bill will end tax relief for shooting estates and to force the sale of land if its owners are blocking economic development. The Land Reform Bill will end tax relief for shooting estates and force the sale of land if owners are blocking economic development.
However, it has been described as a "land grab" by opponents.However, it has been described as a "land grab" by opponents.
Landowners on sporting estates, such as grouse shooting, stopped paying business rates in 1994 after being given an exemption by then prime minister John Major's Conservative government. Landowners on sporting estates stopped paying business rates in 1994 after being given an exemption by then prime minister John Major's Conservative government.
The Scottish government had previously said the tax exemption was unfair and must end.The Scottish government had previously said the tax exemption was unfair and must end.
It has proposed using the additional money raised by ending the tax exemption to treble the Scottish Land Fund - which is used to help support community buyouts of land - from £3m this year to £10m a year from 2016.It has proposed using the additional money raised by ending the tax exemption to treble the Scottish Land Fund - which is used to help support community buyouts of land - from £3m this year to £10m a year from 2016.
But landowners have claimed re-introducing the rates could make some sporting estates unprofitable and force gamekeepers out of work.But landowners have claimed re-introducing the rates could make some sporting estates unprofitable and force gamekeepers out of work.
Nicola Sturgeon set out the land reform proposals shortly after becoming Scotland's first minister in November of last year.Nicola Sturgeon set out the land reform proposals shortly after becoming Scotland's first minister in November of last year.
She said at the time that "Scotland's land must be an asset that benefits the many, not the few".She said at the time that "Scotland's land must be an asset that benefits the many, not the few".
Among the other proposals in the bill are measures to clarify information about land, its ownership and its value, with a Scottish Land Reform Commission being set up to make recommendations on future reforms. Other proposals in the bill include:
The Scottish government has set a target of doubling the amount of land in community ownership from the current 500,000 acres to one million acres by 2020.The Scottish government has set a target of doubling the amount of land in community ownership from the current 500,000 acres to one million acres by 2020.
'Singled out'
It has held a 10-week consultation on its proposals.It has held a 10-week consultation on its proposals.
Who owns Scotland?
By BBC Scotland correspondent James Cook
On a dusty track just outside Islay's main settlement, Bowmore, Alasdair and Rachel Whyte are standing at a metal gate.
It affords a view of the bay and the hills beyond but their eyes are on the fields in the foreground.
"The sun may be shining but there is a cloud over Islay," says Mrs Whyte, in a lyrical island lilt.
These fields, she explains, were in her husband's family for more than a century, passed down through five generations of Whytes.
They did not own the land but were tenant farmers, part of a feudal system which survives to this day.
Three years ago the land here was taken off the Whyte family when Mr Whyte's sister Aileen died suddenly at the age of 47, unmarried, childless and without a will.
The tenancy of the 100 acres was in her name and the law did not regard her brother as a close relative.
Read more from James...
David Johnstone, chairman of Scottish Land and Estates, which speaks for private landowners, had previously said that sporting estates were "too readily singled out in a negative light", when in fact "they were businesses that made a key contribution to rural tourism, local employment and the environment".David Johnstone, chairman of Scottish Land and Estates, which speaks for private landowners, had previously said that sporting estates were "too readily singled out in a negative light", when in fact "they were businesses that made a key contribution to rural tourism, local employment and the environment".
And the Scottish Conservatives have also criticised the government's proposed reforms as "a Big Brother-style land grab".And the Scottish Conservatives have also criticised the government's proposed reforms as "a Big Brother-style land grab".
But speaking ahead of the bill's publication in the Scottish Parliament, Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead, defended the Scottish government's approach. Land Reform Minister Aileen McLeod said: "We cannot underestimate the crucial part land reform will play in contributing to the future success of communities across Scotland.
He said: "This is not about land grabs, this is about sorting out those areas where quite clearly economic development in this country, which is after all in the public interest, is being hampered by who owns the land and how it's managed." "Through the Land Reform Bill we want to ensure that future generations have access to land required to promote business and economic growth and to provide access to good quality, affordable food, energy and housing.
He argued that ministers "should have the tools to intervene" on behalf of the people of Scotland to "make sure that communities are able to have much more say over their own destinies, their own futures." "The introduction of the bill is a significant step forward in ensuring our land is used in the public interest and to the benefit of the people of Scotland. It will also end the stop start nature of land reform in Scotland that has limited progress."
She added: "Tackling the causes and consequences of inequality is at the heart of this government's work. Land is one of our most valuable assets.
"Owning land can help realise the aspirations and potential of our communities, making a real difference to long-term sustainability, and building stronger, more resilient and supportive communities."