Tyne Esk LEADER has become gamekeeper turned poacher and secured funds to promote the Scottish Rural Parliament in rural Midlothian and East Lothian.
The funding forms part of the Rural Communities Testing Change Fund, which sees tests of change to EU fund LEADER for potential continuation post March 2022. Community priorities will also be tested against Scottish Rural Parliament 21 recommendations and current Scottish Government priorities to establish a needs based strategy for funding going forward.
Local Action Group (LAG) Member Hilary Smith said:
“Midlothian and East Lothian are largely rural areas but have been under-represented in the Scottish Rural Parliament so far. This is a powerful collective rural voice which has influence on national policy, we cannot afford to miss out.”
The Scottish Rural Parliament runs every two years and is part of the European Rural Parliament movement. The output is a manifesto which has significant influence over Scottish Government policy. The latest Scottish Rural Parliament ran this year and was attended by over 500 individuals representing 100 organisations. It is the most comprehensive consultation on rural issues in Scotland.
Tyne Esk LEADER is part of the wider EU LEADER programme which deals with rural development. Funding post March 22 will be Scottish Government dependent.