FOI/202600500175 · FOI · unclear
Organisations and individuals that have applied for the Addressing Depopulation Fund: FOI release
Information requested
Information on how many organisations/individuals have applied to or have been beneficiaries of the Addressing Depopulation Fund. How much has been given to each organisation, in addition to the names of each individual/organisation.
Response
The 2024 Addressing Depopulation Action Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s strategic approach to supporting communities facing population decline. Following publication of the Action Plan, the first phase of work has had an overall funding commitment of £427,500 per year across financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26. For each year, this comprises £360,000 for the Addressing Depopulation Fund and £67,500 for Community Settlement Officers. Information on the breakdown of this is provided within this response.
The Addressing Depopulation Fund was announced within the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan. The Plan publicly announced an initial fund amount of £180,000 per year. Since publication, the Fund has been expanded to additionally include a £120,000 per year contribution from the Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands. Including other additional projects set out below in Inverclyde, Dumfries and Galloway and North Ayrshire, the total Addressing Depopulation Fund amount for both financial years since launch has been £360,000 per year.
Please also note:
£67,500 has separately been provided in 2024/25 and 2025/26 by the Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands portfolio to support the part-funding of three Community Settlement Officer roles in Highland, Western Isles and Argyll and Bute. The remainder of the costs for these posts is provided by the host local authorities. These roles pre-date the Addressing Depopulation Fund and the posts aim to support local authorities’ strategic priorities to attract and retain people within their communities. No individuals have been a beneficiary of any Scottish Government funding related to depopulation. All beneficiaries to date have been local authorities in areas facing population decline.
The following therefore sets out a response to your questions, set out by financial year:
2024/25
Applicant Amount Inverclyde Council £30,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund Highland Council £60,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund £22,500 – Community Settlement Officer Dumfries and Galloway Council £60,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund £30,000 – Research East Ayrshire Council £60,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund Comhairle nan Eilean Siar £60,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund £22,500 – Community Settlement Officer Argyll and Bute Council £60,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund £22,500 – Community Settlement Officer
2025/26
Applicant Amount Inverclyde Council £30,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund Highland Council £60,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund £22,500 – Community Settlement Officer Dumfries and Galloway Council £60,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund East Ayrshire Council £60,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund Comhairle nan Eilean Siar £60,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund £22,500 – Community Settlement Officer Argyll and Bute Council £60,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund £22,500 – Community Settlement Officer North Ayrshire Council £30,000 – Addressing Depopulation Fund
Please note that the £30,000 for North Ayrshire Council is a result of reallocating budget which was previously used in 2024/25 to support now-concluded research work in Dumfries & Galloway.
2026/27
The following sets out organisations who, in Autumn 2025, applied for funding as part of a prospective Phase Two of delivery of the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan:
Argyll and Bute Council Highland Council Dumfries and Galloway Council Moray Council East Ayrshire Council Falkirk Council North Ayrshire Council Orkney Council Inverclyde Council South of Scotland Enterprise Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Highlands and Islands Enterprise
The above applicants includes previous beneficiaries, other local authorities who face or are projected to face the challenge of depopulation, and two regional enterprise agencies who have been identified as having the potential to take forward targeted work on a regional basis within this policy area.
Scottish Ministers will shortly consider options for a second phase and, where resource allows, expand delivery across a wider range of partners. For ease, it is intended that all future funding will consider the totality of spend to be under the umbrella of the Addressing Depopulation Fund. This second phase would run from April 2026, after current projects finish.
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Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
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