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Daily Record
Daily Record
Politics
Chris McCall

Scottish countryside 'hoarded by the super rich' as Labour MSP calls for cap on ownership

A Labour MSP has challenged the SNP and Greens to back plans to limit the amount of land the super rich own in Scotland.

Mercedes Villalba believes too many rural parts of the country are sold off as private estates and should be classed as community assets instead.

She has today launched a consultation on a private member's bill which seeks to introduce a limit of 500 hectares on how much land an individual can own, sell or transfer.

Villalba believes the legislation could rank alongside the smoking ban in public places as one of the key achievements of the Scottish Parliament.

And the North East MSP hopes other parties at Holyrood will now support her plans.

"Transforming Scotland's countryside into a community asset, rather than one that's hoarded by the super-rich, would be one of the significant gains in nearly a quarter of a century of devolution," she said.

"The Scottish Parliament has led the way in ending deep-rooted injustices and delivering far reaching change.

"A ban on the cruel and gratuitous 'blood sport' of foxhunting has stood the test of time.

"Then there was the was smoking ban and the vote in favour of same sex marriage.

"An end to tuition fees, the introduction of free personal care and an end to NHS prescription charges, are also among these gains of devolution.

"Ending the outrage of a few extremely wealthy individuals and families owning the bulk of Scotland’s land, has to be the next transformative change delivered by the Scottish Parliament."

Villalba added: "Placing a limit on how much land the super-rich can own, sell, and transfer, is a realistic and deliverable plan in this parliamentary term.

"Holyrood has the powers to end the medieval style inequality in the ownership of Scotland’s countryside, and to ensure our land is managed and run for the benefit of everyone.

"Timid plans on increasing transparency from the Scottish Government simply won't cut it.

"SNP and Green MSPs must use their overall majority at Holyrood to support the Land Ownership and Public Interest (Scotland) Bill.

"I am appealing to SNP and Green members at Holyrood, not to side with Tory MSPs in opposing this bill to end landed privilege."

Land reform secretary Mairi Gougeon said: "It is imperative that we balance the land rights and responsibilities of landowners, communities and the wider public.

"Our new Land Reform Bill aims to improve transparency of land ownership, help ensure large scale land holdings deliver in the public interest, and empower communities by providing more opportunities to own land and have more say in how land in their area is used. I welcome Mercedes Villalba signalling her support for further action on land reform and would of course be happy to discuss her ideas and bill proposals once these have been developed and published.

"We are committed to ensuring an increased diversity of land ownership – that’s why we are investing in community land ownership via the Scottish Land Fund, which we recently increased to £11m per year."

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