The Rural Development Council was an advisory body to the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment,

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 prev ...

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 The Bank of Scotland plc (Scottish Gaelic: ''Banca na h-Alba'') is a commercial and clearing bank based in Scotland and is part of the Lloyds Banking Group, following the Bank of Scotland's implosion in 2008. The bank was established by th ...

; Stuart Housden, the Director of RSPB 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, Jim McLaren of NFU Scotland; and Liam Beattie, a student from the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built ...

. The council was formed in 2008 and has met in Dumfries,

Dunkeld Dunkeld (, sco, Dunkell, from gd, Dùn Chailleann, "fort of the Caledonians") is a town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The location of a historic cathedral, it lies on the north bank of the River Tay, opposite Birnam. Dunkeld lies close to t ...

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 ...

. 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