The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Tenants’ role vital for land reform study
As the Scottish Land Commission embarks on a three-day conference to look at the role of land in helping to achieve some of Scotland’s big ambitions for the economy, climate and communities, I’ve been reflecting on the connections with tenant farming and how the work of the TFC is acting as an important forerunner to wider land reform.
The commission is tasked with making more of Scotland’s land by stimulating fresh thinking, supporting change on the ground and making recommendations where appropriate for legislative and policy change.
The aim is for land reform to reduce inequality, improve quality of life, and support and benefit everyone in society – no small task!
Take the value of land – a hot topic at the moment given rocketing prices where the market value of land is much higher than its economic value.
The definition of an “effective market” is one which is well-regulated and open, involves a range of people, and has few barriers that prevent people from getting involved.
The land market currently doesn’t meet that definition, and issues are exacerbated by the fixed location of land, meaning it is possible for the people who control it to earn a higher return than they would be able to achieve in a truly competitive market.
The commission is therefore looking to improve the efficiency and fairness of the land market, by looking at values and the role of different ownership structures.
This means examining the role of land in creating and sharing public value, providing reforms to unlock greater economic activity, and encouraging owners to use land in ways that benefit society.
It’s not difficult to see how agricultural tenancies and other creative joint ventures can fit those aspirations.
I believe it’s essential that decisions about land take account of the views of those they affect and help achieve outcomes that are in the public interest.
The commission agrees and is of the view that this should be the norm for wider land rights and responsibilities, and I’m pleased that it is using the experience of delivering the TFC’s functions to inform its wider work to embed land rights and responsibilities in other sectors.