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The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Land reform Bill: Labour MSP in bid to introduce 500ha cap
The MSP is to lodge amendments that would introduce a presumptive cap on land ownership. Her proposal would prevent any individual or entity from buying, selling or owning more than 500 hectares by default. READ MORE: MSPs backed the general principles of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill in March. Holyrood's Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee is set to begin Stage 2 scrutiny on Tuesday, considering hundreds of proposed amendments. The Bill has two parts. The first would place a duty on the owners of the largest landholdings to engage with the local community about the use of the land. It also proposes mechanisms to make it easier for community groups to purchase land when it is put up for sale. The second part addresses the agricultural and environmental use of leased farmland. Ms Villalba's amendment would mean any transaction exceeding the 500 hectare threshold would trigger a forward-looking public interest test, assessing whether the sale benefits local communities and Scotland more broadly. Where estates fail the test, ministers could require them to be divided and sold in smaller parcels—a measure aimed at curbing further concentration. She also plans to amend the Bill's definition of 'large-scale' landholding to account for total land owned, rather than just contiguous holdings. This is intended to prevent landowners from avoiding regulation by holding multiple, smaller, separate parcels. A further amendment would stop ministers from raising the acreage thresholds without full scrutiny by the Scottish Parliament, amid concerns future governments could dilute the reforms. Ms Villalba said more ambitious action is needed to dismantle Scotland's entrenched 'land monopoly'. Mercedes Villalba outside the Trump course in Balmedie (Image: Contributed) Despite over two decades of land reform legislation, the country is often cited as having the most unequal land ownership in the western world. Research published last year by former Green MSP and land reform advocate Andy Wightman found that half of Scotland's privately owned rural land—some 3.2 million hectares—is held by just 433 owners, including estates, corporations and trusts. Community bodies, by contrast, own only around 2.8% of rural land. Campaigners argue that this extreme concentration has remained largely unchanged since the early 20th century, resulting in 'localised monopoly' power in some areas. However, in response to the Scottish Government's consultation, Scottish Land and Estates argued there is no substantial evidence that the scale of landholdings negatively impacts the country. They said scale and concentration should be treated as separate issues. 'There appears to be no evidence that there is a detrimental impact on Scotland due to the scale of land holdings,' they said. ' The Scottish Land Commission's own evidence points to the issue being potentially one of concentrated land ownership in specific areas, rather than scale itself. Therefore any measure of scale will always be an inappropriate instrument in dealing with any adverse impacts on communities or the prosperity of Scotland in a wider context.' READ MORE Ms Villalba said:'To deal with the serious problem of concentrated land ownership, we need a radical shift that prioritises community benefit and empowers local people to shape the future of their land, rather than merely tinkering round the edges. 'Today, Scotland's land is concentrated in the hands of the new nobility—asset managers, foreign billionaires, and the inheritors of huge estates. Just 0.025% of the population own 67% of our countryside. 'This Bill presents a chance to change that, break the ultra-wealthy's grasp on Scotland's resources and build a fairer, more prosperous Scotland for all of us. But currently it simply does not meet the scale of the challenge. 'That is why the proposals must include a presumed limit on ownership over 500 hectares, unless it is in the public interest. 'Without a meaningful public interest test, we risk allowing land to be sold or managed in ways that benefit private interests at the expense of the public good. We need a mechanism that ensures that decisions about land are made with the long-term wellbeing of our communities at heart.'
The Independent
01-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Our door is open, says Scottish Water as unions urged to ballot members on offer
The boss of Scottish Water has told MSPs the company's 'door is open' following strikes last week as unions were urged to put a pay offer to its members. Workers walked out of the public body last week over a pay dispute, with management offering an increase of 3.4% or £1,400 for those on the lowest pay grades. Speaking at the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee, Scottish Water chief executive Alex Plant said the offer was 'good, fair and progressive', while stressing that utility firm had to ensure sustainability and value for money for customers. 'I would like this to be resolved, I want people to have money in their pocket,' he told MSPs. 'Our door is open, we want to get this resolved, we'll meet any time with our union colleagues and it just is important we try to resolve this as quick as possible, and that is our focus.' Mr Plant said he had not met with the unions around the pay dispute, which is being handled by other senior executives at the firm, but added 'I really want to meet with the unions' to discuss the companies long term future. ' One of the things that I think has been disappointing is that the offer that's before everybody has not actually been put to union members to consider, so the ballot that was taken around the principle of industrial action rather than the offer being put to union members for their assessment,' Mr Plant said. While the company's chief operating officer Peter Farrer said offers in the last decade to workers had been 'comfortably over inflation', while pay changes proposed in 2023 represented a 'huge investment' in staff. The original plans resulted in strike action proposed to last as long as 48 days over several months before an improved offer was made along with a commitment to further negotiation. 'This is a good offer… I would like to encourage the union leaders to put our refreshed offer in front of their members, because they haven't put that offer in front of their members yet and get back around the table so we can have some meaningful negotiations as soon as possible,' Mr Farrer said. Under questioning from Labour MSP Monica Lennon, Mr Plant denied the company had sent 'anti-union' emails to staff. 'I don't recognise that description, I understand that emotions can run high when you're in a period of industrial action, but our communications have sought to be measured and factual and clear and focused on trying to find a way through and that's where we still are,' he said. In a wide-ranging session, Scottish Water chair Deirdre Michie also defended the pay structure for senior managers at Scottish Water, including a base salary of £246,000 for Mr Plant, rising to £483,000 with benefits and pension contributions, according to a its 2024 annual report. The chief executive, who joined the firm in May 2023, was also given £73,000 to relocate to Scotland after having worked for Anglian Water Services, £42,000 of which was for help with Land and Transactions Building Tax (LBTT) on the permanent home he bought. 'We are competing against private companies for the talent that we need to lead us, a very complex business,' she said. 'We're one of the biggest public corporations in Scotland, that is performing well. 'Our benchmarking demonstrates that our executive salaries are actually among the lowest of any comparable companies in the UK. 'So we need to attract the talent with the skills and the experience to ensure that Scottish Water delivers the type of outcomes that you expect from us on a daily basis and for the longer term.'
