Families from across the globe are ready to pack their bags and move to remote Scottish islands, taking the local government up on its lucrative £50,000 incentive to repopulate its archipelago.
The enticing offer, announced earlier this year by the Scottish National Party (SNP), is part of the federal government’s goal of stemming island depopulation through 100 bonds of up to The money will be handed to young people in families looking to either remain on the islands, or move there—and applicants from as far as South America have expressed interest in making the move.
Uisdean Robertson, chair of the Western Isles Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said initial queries came from Ecuador, some 9,600 kilometres away.
Mr. Robertson said he learned of the application during a monthly meeting with an islands’ team from Transport Scotland.
The isle of Great Cumbrae is popular for tourists. Pictured: Millport harbour, Great Cumbrae, Firth of Clyde, Scotland
Houses are pictured in the crofting settlement village of Bhatarsaigh, Vatersay, Barra, Scotland. The Scottish government is offering residents and outsiders up to £50,000 to help keep its islands populated
However, he said, a willingness to relocate isn’t the only requirement.
‘We want young people with families who have some connection with the islands - not people just tempted by the cash on offer,’ Mr. Robertson said. ‘Lack of housing is a huge problem - we are attracting early retirees and second home owners. You can’t blame people for selling for the highest prices, but it’s not helping in pricing young people out of the market.’
The government’s Islands Act plan will help moving to the isles affordable by subsidizing the cost of buying a home or starting a new business, the SNP said on its website.
But not everyone buys into its strategy.
“My feedback on this £50,000 bond is very negative,’ Mr. Robertson said. ‘It’s a bit of a gimmick.’
The initiative is also meant to help bolster the island economies, which lack sources of employment, driving young residents away.
The country’s 93 islands range in population from 20,000 to just one. It was not immediately clear which
