A Common Good Fund is a fund held by a

local authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, consisting of property that previously belonged to a burgh. The fund may include both

movable property property is property that is movable. In common law systems, personal property may also be called chattels or personalty. In civil law systems, personal property is often called movable property or movables—any property that can be moved fr ...

(money or objects) and heritable property (land and buildings), and is legally distinct from other assets owned by the local authority. The funds have their origins in the 11th century, when the first burghs were established by royal charters that granted them certain lands, rights and privileges. The Common Good Act 1491, which remains in force, required that this property "be observed and kept for the common good of the town". The use and sale of Common Good is restricted by law, and the proceeds from these assets is retained in the relevant Common Good Fund. The income of a Common Good Fund is required to be used for the benefit of the inhabitants of the burgh to which they belong. Since re-structuring of local government in 1975 and again in 1996, it is often not clear which property now comprises the Common Good of the former burghs. The

Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament. The act is notable for expanding the Community Right to Buy established by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 to include urban communities and for introducing ne ...

required all council to establish and maintain a register of property which is held by the authority as part of the common good. According to land campaigner and former MSP

Andy Wightman Andrew Dearg Wightman is a Scottish Independent politician, who served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region from 2016 to 2021. He was elected as a member of the Scottish Greens, but resigned from the party in ...

there are 196 Common Good Funds across Scotland.

Aberdeen

Aberdeen's Common Good Fund is a fund to benefit the people of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. It was created as a result of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...

granting the cities Great Charter in 1319, after they sheltered him during his days of outlaw. In 2005, the value of the fund was £31 million. Along with the Great Charter, Bruce gave Aberdeen the Forest of Stocket (now the

Mid Stocket Midstocket is an area of Aberdeen, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scotti ...

area of the city), in return for a yearly rent. As a result of the finances generated from the forest, the Common Good Fund was created to benefit the people of the city. Later, the lands of Cruvie (now Woodside) and Rubislaw were also granted to the people with the whole becoming known as the

Freedom Lands of Aberdeen The March Stones of Aberdeen are boundary marker stones encircling the land owned by the Scottish royal burgh, dating from before 1525. In the 1300s Robert the Bruce granted the Royal Burgh of Aberdeen unusually strong rights over the burgh its ...

. The fund helped to create

Marischal College Marischal College ( ) is a large granite building on Broad Street in the centre of Aberdeen in north-east Scotland, and since 2011 has acted as the headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. However, the building was constructed for and is on long- ...

by giving land to

George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal (c. 1553–1623) was a Scottish nobleman and Earl Marischal. He succeeded as earl on 7 October 1581, upon the death of his grandfather, William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal. Early life George Keith was the s ...

to help him build the institution; it helped the people during the 1640 plague and also gave funds to

Aberdeen Art Gallery Aberdeen Art Gallery is the main visual arts exhibition space in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1884 in a building designed by Alexander Marshall Mackenzie, with a sculpture court added in 1905. In 1900, it received the art ...

, the Central Library,

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) is the largest hospital in the Grampian area, located on the Foresterhill site in Aberdeen, Scotland. ARI is a teaching hospital with around 900 inpatient beds, offering tertiary care for a population of over 600, ...

and the purchase of

Hazlehead Park Hazlehead Park is a public park in the Hazlehead area of Aberdeen, Scotland. 180 hectares in size, it was opened to the public in 1920, having formerly been the estate of Hazlehead House, home of William Rose, shipbuilder. It is heavily wooded a ...

. In recent times it has been used to provide the elderly with tea dances and a festival for older people. It is also used to help charity as has been a substantial contributor to the Instant Neighbour Trust in the past.

References

History of Aberdeen Economy of Aberdeen Local government in Scotland Burghs {{Aberdeen-stub