Scottish government cancels ‘bribe’ scheme after consultation

Skerries. Photo: Ivan Reid

A £5 million proposal to “bribe” people to move to Scottish islands has been scrapped.

The Scottish government’s Islands Bond scheme will not go ahead following negative responses from islanders to a consultation on the move.

It would have seen bonds of up to £50,000 available to help people buy, build or renovate homes and make their lives in island communities.

But the plan had been widely criticised when announced last year, with some calling it a “bribe”.

The Scottish government said today (Friday) that those in favour of the Islands Bond were “largely non-islanders”.

Islanders had raised concerns about the plan, it said, and whether it would actually reverse population decline.

Rural affairs and islands secretary Mairi Gougeon said the Islands Bond was “never intended to be a silver bullet” to address population challenges.

“Taking the decision demonstrates our continued commitment to listen to island communities and ensure policy is delivered in collaboration with them, rather than to them.

“We will continue to address the issue of depopulation on our islands with our National Islands Plan commitment to develop an Action Plan to address this issue, with a draft publication in 2023.”