Ministers must act to tackle ‘rural premium’, say MSPs

The Scottish Government needs to target action to ensure rural areas have access to services and rights to curb the “rural premium”, MSPs have said.

A report published by Holyrood’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee is calling on ministers to take action as rural communities continue to face barriers that limit access to essential services including healthcare, childcare, legal advice and public transport.

It made reference to the “rural premium”, which highlights the hidden costs of living in a rural area.

This includes the cost of groceries being higher in rural areas as there is often a reliance on smaller shops rather than major supermarkets, and higher than
average fuel costs, both for heating and transport.

Committee convener Karen Adam said: “Rural communities deserve equitable access to services, opportunities and rights and often face greater financial challenges than urban areas of Scotland.

“During this inquiry, rural people clearly told us that they cannot access essential services, including healthcare, childcare, specialist support, legal advice and public transport.

“We want to see the Scottish Government build on its work to date by undertaking targeted action to deliver better access to services and combat the rural premium.”

The report said that whilst rural areas contribute enormously to Scotland’s social, cultural and economic life, “it is clear that many residents do not
currently enjoy the same level of access to services, infrastructure and opportunities that are more readily available elsewhere”.

A shortage of affordable housing and adequate infrastructure, combined with a higher than average cost of living, were also found to pose significant challenges to the sustainability of rural communities.

The report said: “Rural housing shortages continue to undermine workforce recruitment, drive depopulation, and restrict the ability of younger generations to remain in their communities.”

It calls on the Government to provide an update on what it is doing to improve the housing situation.

The committee concluded that a “more coherent, ambitious and flexible approach is needed” to recognise the needs of rural and island areas, including the expectation of a future Scottish Human Rights Bill to contribute to the realisation of this.

The committee said the Government acknowledged the issues raised during its inquiry and highlighted the work it is doing, but the report said this has yet to translate into sufficient improvements in the lives of people living in rural areas.

The committee also heard about barriers to healthcare that were created by distance and travel costs.

It called for urgent action to address the centralisation of essential health services, such as maternity care in regions such as the Highlands.

Equalities minister Kaukab Stewart said: “I welcome the committee’s report, which demonstrates the importance of all levels of government sustaining progress to advance how people experience their human rights in Scotland’s rural communities.  We know there is more to do and are committed to addressing depopulation, and further realising the rights of those living in rural communities.

“We are providing £427,500 this year to trial innovative measures across areas such as housing, skills and childcare to support population sustainability in line with local priorities.

“Our forthcoming national islands plan was informed by engagement with communities and takes a human rights-based approach to supporting population retention and attraction on our islands, and our rural and islands housing action plan is building on the delivery of over 12,000 affordable homes in rural communities between April 2016 and March 2024.

“Migration is vital for supporting sustainable communities, economies and public services in Scotland. This is why we have launched a displaced adult social care pilot with £500,000 of Scottish Government funding to support sustainability within this key sector, including in parts of rural Scotland with an ageing population. We also continue to call on the UK Government to partner with us to deliver a rural visa pilot, recognising the positive impact that migration can have to address depopulation in rural and island Scotland, alongside labour shortages in key sectors.”