An unexpected alliance has been forged between the Scottish Crofting Foundation (SCF) and the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association (SRPBA) to respond to the draft crofting bill consultation.
Both organisations responded independently, but they also submitted a joint response when the consultation ended earlier in August. Both groups are opposed to the suggested creation of area committees, which they feel will just lead to additional bureaucracy and expense. Instead, they feel that the Crofters Commission should be an elected body with commissioners elected to represent particular geographical areas. They also agree on a number of issues related to absenteeism, registration and occupancy requirements.
The SCF's own consultation response highlights a number of other concerns with the draft bill, which they feel fails to address the overall viability of crofting and does nothing to encourage new entrants. You can read the full text of their response here and see the SRPBA's own reponse and the joint response here.
