URBAN PEOPLE WILL BENEFIT FROM LAND REFORM, SAY GREENS

[tony at gaia.org]

>
>
>GREEN MSPs' NEWS RELEASE
>
>For immediate release Tuesday 19 August 2003
>
>URBAN PEOPLE WILL BENEFIT FROM LAND REFORM, SAY GREENS
>
>Green MSPs have welcomed Jack McConnell's announcement today that
will
>extend the right to buy land to communities of up to 10,000 people.
>
>This means that urban communities will benefit from the proposal,
said Green
>MSP Mark Ruskell.
>
>"We warmly welcome the First Minister's announcement," said Mr
Ruskell, the
>Greens' environment and rural development spokesman. "Encouraging
community
>control of land and buildings is a first step to rebuilding the
social
>fabric that has rotted away in our rural and urban communities over
the past
>50 years. The Executive can and should go a lot further, extending
the
>concept of a community's right to buy to urban areas of higher
populations.
>
>"Community ownership will only flourish if the skills and right
support is
>there to enable communities to take control of their assets. The
Executive
>will have to match the 'right to buy' with more support for 'how to
buy' and
>'how to manage'."
>
>The original proposal in land reform legislation was to restrict
pre-emptive
>right to buy to rural communities of less than 3,000 people. Mr
Ruskell said
>that local ownership and control of resources was a core Green
principle and
>the shift to include urban communities was an important one.
>
>FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, contact Jill Boulton at the Green MSPs'
press
>office on 0131 348 6360 / 07919 210 126.
>
>ends
>
>
>Jill Boulton
>Press Officer
>Green MSPs
>Parliament HQ
>George IV Bridge
>Edinburgh
>EH99 1SP
>Tel 0131 348 6360 / 07919 210 126