FORMER MSP Andy Wightman will be joining The National’s team of regular contributors in the coming weeks with a series of interactive features on land reform.
Wightman, who served as a Green MSP before becoming an independent in his final year in parliament, is one of Scotland’s foremost land reform experts – having spent decades as a campaigner prior to getting into politics.
In the new regular feature series “Andy Wightman: Land Detective”, the activist will respond to your queries about land issues in your area. He’ll explain the land’s history, the barriers which exist preventing action being taken and the ways in which it could be repurposed.
We’ll be asking readers to get in touch with photographs of abandoned or dilapidated land and buildings in their areas, along with some brief information on the location – and our Land Detective will get to work.
Wightman’s articles will be free to read by anyone – totally paywall-free – in an effort to help inform the land reform debate in Scotland.
Laura Webster, The National’s News and Features Editor, commented: “Andy is the perfect person to take on this brief, and we know he is going to put together some fantastic, informative articles – and hopefully help to create lasting change.
“The National is thrilled to be able to make a positive contribution to Scotland's communities and the overall land reform debate.”
Wightman added: "I am delighted to be working with The National on the Land Detective series.
"It is important that people know far more about the ownership, use and decision-making about land across Scotland and I hope that this series will help shine a light on the topic in a way that encourages more people to ask more questions."
Readers are invited to start sending their land reform photographs and queries to landdetective@thenational.scot. Wightman will begin the series in the coming weeks.
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