Rural proofing policy is a first for Scotland
Friday, December 7 2007
Scottish Borders Council (SBC) has adopted a new ‘rural proofing’ policy that will help to ensure that rural issues are considered properly in Council decision making.
It is the first local authority in Scotland to develop such a policy.
Rural proofing will be used to demonstrate that the needs of rural areas have been taken into account.
It involves considering the impact of policies on rural areas and, if necessary, changing policies to take into account the needs of people who live in, work in, or visit the countryside. It recognises that, in the countryside, needs are often different from those in urban areas. This is due to the distinctive features of rural areas, such as dispersed settlements, longer journey times, lack of infrastructure such as mobile phone coverage, smaller schools and more scattered community facilities.
The rural proofing checklist is a useful tool to help the Council to ‘think rural’ when developing new policies and strategies. It involves looking at the impact of policies on rural communities, the rural economy and the environment.
Councillor Vicky Davidson, Executive Member for Economic Development, said: “Scottish Borders Council is the first local authority in Scotland to develop and adopt a rural proofing policy. I’m personally delighted to have reached this stage as it is something I have been advocating for several years now.
“Not only will the Council’s policies now be ‘proofed’ to check that there will be no unintended adverse affect on people living and working in the more rural areas, departments will be encouraged to look for solutions if any adverse impact is identified.”
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