The Rural Development Council was an advisory body to the Scottish

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment , insignia = , image = Official portrait of rural affairs secretary Mairi Gourgeon.jpg , incumbent = Mairi Gougeon , incumbentsince = 20 May 2021 , style = Cabinet Secretary (within parliament) Rural Affairs Secretary (informal) Scottish ...

Richard Lochhead Richard Neilson Lochhead (born 24 May 1969) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who is Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work and has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Moray since 2006. He was previou ...

MSP. Its members include:

Barbara Kelly Barbara Kelly (5 October 1923 – 15 January 2007) was a Canadian-British actress, best known for her television roles in the United Kingdom opposite her husband Bernard Braden in the 1950s and 1960s, and for many appearances as a panelist ...

; Donald MacRae of the Bank of Scotland; Stuart Housden, the Director of

RSPB The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...

Scotland; Derek Logie of the Rural Housing Service; Liberal Democrat Councillor Alison Hay from

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...

Council; Kate Braithwaite, Director of the Carnegie UK Trust Rural Programme; Alex Walker, chairman of Development Trusts Association Scotland; Shiela Garson from

Shapinsay Shapinsay (, sco, Shapinsee) is one of the Orkney Islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. There is one village on the island, Balfour, from which roll-on/roll-off car ferries sail to Kirkwall on the Orkney Mainland. Balfour Castle, ...

Development Trust; Neil Macleod, the chair of the

Scottish Crofting Foundation Maldives The Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF), formerly called the Scottish Crofting Foundation (also formerly called the Scottish Crofters Union), is an organisation of crofting communities in the highlands and islands of Scotland. The SCF's ...

, Jim McLaren of NFU Scotland; and

Liam Beattie Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William. Etymology The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these eleme ...

, a student from the University of Stirling. The council was formed in 2008 and has met in

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

, Dunkeld and

Finzean Finzean (; gd, Fìnnean) is a rural community, electoral polling district, community council area and former ecclesiastical parish, which forms the southern part of the Parish of Birse, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Finzean was the subject of many we ...

. Mr Lochhead has said: "I am delighted to see that we now have a forum where the rural voice can be heard at the heart of Government." In 2010 the council launched a consultation paper called "Speak Up for Rural Scotland". The consultation seeks views on "how best rural Scotland can contribute to the nation's sustainable economic growth", noting the potential of the natural assets of rural Scotland and identifying priorities and opportunities. These are listed as 37 "step changes" which the Council considers important. The Council met for the last time in February 2011Minutes of Feb 2011 meeting.
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References

External links

Scottish Government Consultation document and guidance
Rural Scotland Rural community development 2008 establishments in Scotland 2011 disestablishments in Scotland Rural development in Europe {{agriculture-stub