Steps to strengthen communities and empower local leaders will be set out today in a new plan to help retain and attract people to depopulating areas.

The Addressing Depopulation Action Plan will outline the next steps in the Scottish Government’s work to support people to stay, live, and work in places where populations are set to decrease – many of them rural and island areas.

The plan will include targeted funding to support places that are particularly impacted by the effects of depopulation. It will also consolidate work that is already ongoing in areas including housing, transport, and education.

Migration Minister Emma Roddick said: “People are Scotland’s greatest asset. However, a falling birth rate, ageing population, and lower inward migration after Brexit mean that some places need support to secure the populations required to help their local communities and economies thrive.

“Addressing depopulation is a priority for this government. While there is no quick fix to the challenges that lead to population decline, this plan will set out the next steps in our work to help communities up and down the country grasp opportunities and unleash their potential.

“Understanding that depopulation affects different places in different ways is at the heart of this strategy. Local leaders and organisations know their communities best, and we will set out concrete steps to empower them and channel their expertise.”

However, Scottish Conservative rural affairs spokesperson Rachael Hamilton MSP said the SNP and Greens have “shown contempt for rural Scotland.”

She said: “Those living and working in rural Scotland are sick and tired of these warm words from the SNP-Green government.

“Ministers have not addressed depopulation in rural and remote towns and villages for far too long, and their failure to deliver on so many key priorities is at the heart of why people have moved away.

“From their ferry fiasco to a lack of affordable housing, to poor broadband connectivity and centralising key public services, SNP-Green ministers have shown contempt for rural Scotland.

“While this may get them some easy headlines, they need to step up and ensure that our rural areas have the resources they need to retain and attract people to live and work there.”