Bid to increase local participation in landowning trusts

Highland Correspondent

Thursday 27 September 2012

A high-profile land reform campaigner has turned his fire on companies with charitable status in a new assault on absentee landlords.

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David Ross Highland Correspondent

Andy Wightman is challenging landowners on the Island of Bute and the Applecross peninsula in Wester Ross in a bid to make them locally accountable. Ninety applications for membership rights to two companies were delivered yesterday to their registered offices in Edinburgh.

If successful, the new members will work with local residents to hand over the companies to community control. Applicants in this initial wave include supporters from across Scotland as well as people from Bute and Applecross.The campaigners are focusing on the Mount Stuart Trust and the Applecross Trust. The Mount Stuart Trust owns 28,000 acres on Bute and is wholly controlled by five members of the Marquess of Bute's family plus an accountant and lawyer. None of them lives on Bute. The Applecross Trust owns 61,000 acres of the Applecross peninsula. It is wholly controlled by seven people and chaired by Richard Wills, of Andover in Hampshire. None of the members lives in Applecross.As companies with charitable status they have no share- holders, only members who are the directors. There are no restrictions on who can become members. Mr Wightman, co-ordinator of the new Land Action Scotland campaign, said the move was designed to revitalise the land reform agenda, and coincide with the Scottish Government's Land reform Review Group starting its work."They exert enormous influence over the communities of Bute and Applecross, and yet they remain in the exclusive control of a handful of people who have shown no interest in extending participation to local residents," he said.Archie MacLellan, administrator of the Applecross Trust, said the body already acted in the interests of the local community:"The trust provides very significant investment within Applecross aimed at supporting the local community," he said.

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Bid to increase local participation in landowning trusts

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