It’s flat out or flat on your back for essential local development trusts

The comment (with more than a grain of truth in it) was occasioned as I was canvassing for more people to nominate themselves as directors for the Development Trust. The AGM for the Tiree Community Development Trust is advancing at speed, and as we do every year, we are twisting people’s arms up their backs to stand.

I suspect that I’m not far off the point where people see me appearing in the Co-Op queue and just abandon their baskets – leaving before I have the chance to catch their eye … Development trusts are a double-edged sword.

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In the eyes of the populations they serve, they are often simultaneously doing too much and too little, too much of the wrong thing and not enough of the right thing. Some suggest that their existence has allowed local authorities to be lazy about providing services, others are convinced that without them, places which are at the end of long roads would not have survived as long as they have.

When it comes to the long-term impact of trusts – as saviours or as interference in the natural order – there are, like the “flat out or flat out on your back” observation, many shades of grey between the two positions.

Local community development trusts first began to emerge in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s, in response to the decline of traditional industries and a growing need for communities to take control of their own development. These trusts are typically formed in response to economic challenges, a lack of local services, or the desire to protect and enhance community assets.

Development trusts offered communities the chance to independently manage assets, secure funding and drive local economic development. The trust model appealed because it allowed communities to retain ownership and control of assets, ensuring that any profits were reinvested locally.

In the 1990s, the concept of community empowerment gained traction. This was driven by the understanding that local people often had the best understanding of what was needed in their areas. The Scottish Government, for example, passed the Community Empowerment Act (2015), but even before this legislation, the devolution of powers to Scotland in 1999 was designed to foster greater local autonomy and encourage community ownership of assets, particularly in rural areas.

Here in Scotland, land reform played a significant role in the rise of development trusts, particularly in rural areas. Communities in the Highlands and Islands, many of which were historically underdeveloped and reliant on landowners, began to use development trusts to purchase and manage land. This movement gained momentum with the passage of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, which gave communities the right to buy land, further encouraging the establishment of community-led trusts.

As the concept of localism grew stronger in the 2000s, governments increasingly recognised the importance of involving communities in decision-making. Development trusts became key to delivering this vision of local governance, particularly as they were seen as trusted, non-profit organisations that could manage assets and services in a sustainable way, especially in areas where local authorities were stretched for resources.

Assynt Crofters’ Trust, established in 1993, is one of the earliest examples of a rural community development trust that took over the ownership of land.

In the Scottish islands, there is a whole range of notable development trusts. The Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust purchased the Isle of Eigg in 1997, becoming one of Scotland’s most famous community buyouts. The trust owns and manages the island’s 12,000 acres, focusing on sustainable development and renewable energy. Eigg was the first island in the world to produce 100% of its electricity from renewable sources, including wind, solar and hydropower.

Stòras Uibhist is one of the largest community landowners in Scotland, managing the 93,000-acre South Uist Estate since its buyout in 2006. The trust oversees a diverse range of activities including crofting, fishing, tourism and renewable energy.

Trusts don’t always buy out their surrounding land. Here in Tiree, the land belongs to others and the trust buys bits as they are needed for projects. Argyll Estates continues to own most of Tiree, but the Trust owns a shop and a fuel station, business units, two harbours, moorings, a fishing shed and a large wind turbine, among other things. Land or buildings will be bought as needed to build housing and other assets the community needs.

“Needs” is the tricky bit. Working out what a community needs is sometimes obvious – houses, for example – and sometimes not, like how you address hidden poverty. Sometimes the need changes between the inception of a project and the completion. Understanding and addressing need can only be done through thorough community consultation. And that bit can only happen if everyone is involved.

Honestly, trying to get people engaged is often harder than delivering the project itself.

Lots of the people we need to engage with are absolutely flat out in the traditional sense, and even the most enthusiastic consultation participants are simply “consulted out”. Over the past decades, we have seen a constant parade of surveys and consultation events where the same people stick the same pins in the same maps and write out the same post-it notes they have been writing for years. Cynicism about whether anything will actually change runs deep, and it’s not just individuals – trusts themselves share this frustration.

Development trusts have evolved from their original purpose of growing assets and economic resilience into the go-to solution for filling the gaps left by the government and other authorities. Increasingly, these trusts are expected to step in when services fail.

Tiree Trust runs a broadband service because in 2024, Openreach can still not offer an acceptable service. We are looking at childcare solutions because in 2024 there is still no good solution for wraparound childcare. We are planning to build houses because no-one else will. We need to get our heads around veterinary provision because, yes, you guessed it, no-one else will.

Debating whether trusts should be taking on these roles is beside the point – these are essential projects that no one else will do. And they matter.

The people involved – both paid and voluntary – are doing this work because they care deeply about the future of their communities. They don’t always get things right – quite the opposite sometimes – but from the inside, I can tell you that no-one would be putting in this effort if they didn’t truly care about trying to make things better.

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The reality is that building our future – and these days, addressing even the most basic needs – requires a united effort. The more people we have involved, the lighter the burden becomes. Yes, we’ll disagree, fall out, and have different interpretations of “flat out”. But at least we’ll be pulling in the same direction, working towards a common goal.

We need the insight and the frustration and the cynicism of the people who are juggling four jobs, kids and a croft.

We need the spare time the retired millionaires might have. We need to be willing to hold strong opinions, and the humility to change those opinions when new information emerges. We need to trust each other enough to disagree and commit.

No, we shouldn’t have to be doing all of this – but in 2024, no-one else will. Working together, even when it’s hard, is the only way to ensure a future for our communities.