Inverness HQ for Scottish Land Commission

Inverness will be the base for the Scottish Land Commission, Land Reform Secretary Roseanna Cunningham confirmed today.

Set up under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, the new body, which will include five Land Commissioners, the Tenant Farming Commissioner and support staff, will bring around 20 jobs to the city. Based in Longman House, it is due to begin work on 1 November 2016 and to be fully operational from 1 April 2017.

Hilary Pearce, a Scottish Government civil servant, has been appointed interim chief executive officer and will be on secondment to the Commission until summer 2017.

The Commission will have a broad remit to review the impact and effectiveness of laws and policies relating to land in Scotland and recommend changes, in line with its own strategic plan and the land rights and responsibilities statement to be published by ministers. The Tenant Farming Commissioner will develop codes of practice and provide support to the tenant farming sector.

Ms Cunningham said the Commission's location would provide a base that was easily accessible for all parts of Scotland. She added: "The city location symbolises that land reform is no longer an exclusively rural issue – we want to see people in our towns and cities reap the benefits of land reform too.

“The Commission will have an important role reviewing policy and legislation, help to influence future developments relating the ownership of Scotland’s land and how we ensure communities across Scotland realise their potential.”