Government support for the building of croft houses is now worth about a sixth of what it was 30 years ago, according to crofters.
They are statutorily required to stay within 20 miles of their croft, so often have to build.
Now the Scottish Government is consulting on proposals to change the Croft House Grant Scheme (CHGS) recommending an increase of £6,000 in the maximum grant available, which has been dismissed as minimal by some crofters.
The Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF), crofters' representative body, says that in 1986 the average building cost for a croft house was £27,860. when government support through the Croft Building Grant and Loan Scheme (CBGLS) was £22,200 made up of £8,700 grant plus £13,500 loan at 7% for up to 40 years or until the borrower was aged 71.
The federation calculates that in 1986, government support covered 82% of building costs. These levels of support remained unchanged until 2004 when CBGLS was abolished and replaced by the Croft House Grant Scheme (CHGS), when the loan element was done away with and road and water supply costs ceased to be supported.
In 2008, SCF calculated that the rate of support had declined from 82% (in 1986) to 14% of total build costs. Inevitably this decline will have continued.
SCF Chair Fiona Mandeville said this made it very difficult for many crofters, particularly the younger ones to have a home on the croft. "There also used to be a government loan available which facilitated building. Despite a parliamentary committee recommending the reinstatement of the loan element, Scottish Government has flatly refused to consider it. While even minimally increased grant rates are welcome, a grant is just one component of funding a new croft house."
She said lenders were reluctant to give crofters a mortgage , because of their lack of effort to understand crofting and continued:
"We urge the Scottish Government to strengthen their good intentions on crofter housing by pressing mortgage providers to look again at finding ways to offer mortgages to crofters or to reinstate a government loan."
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said a full response would be made following conclusion of the consultation and analysis of responses.
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