Wed, 30/09/2020 - 15:32pm
Here at Scottish Rural Action we would like to say thank you to everyone who took the time this summer to complete either of our surveys, both the one in May and in July. We are very excited to now be able to launch the report from our second survey's results.
Over the two surveys, we have had nearly 1000 responses and feel very grateful that so many of you shared your experiences of this stressful time with us. We really care about what is going on in your communities so trust that every response will help us provide a strong and truthful voice for rural communities and support us to tailor what we do to meet the needs of rural Scotland.
From the surveys, it is clear that rural communities are under huge amounts of strain caused by Covid-19 and that here is a real need for clear guidance and support from all levels of government to aid long-term, economic recovery. From the data, we can tell that there is less positivity, particularly around funding, within communities now than there was early this year as the pandemic becomes more embedded within our lives. The issues that affected rural communities before lockdown, such as poor broadband, hindered your area’s ability to react to the pandemic and that there is a real desire for more locally driven response. Significantly, almost 70% of you want more power devolved to communities showing the huge importance of this issue. Finally, we are pleased to see that many of you are using your experience of lockdown to reassess your values and make positive changes moving forward. At SRA, we hope to do the same!
