Appointment of the Land and Communities Commissioner to the Scottish Land Commission

The appointment is for five years and is expected to take effect from April 2027, subject to the approval of the Scottish Parliament.

The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs is looking to appoint the first Land and Communities Commissioner to the Scottish Land Commission. This is a new role created by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.

The Cabinet Secretary values highly the benefits of having different points of view on the public body and welcomes applications from people from all walks of life. Scottish Ministers particularly welcome applications from women, disabled people, LGBT+ people, people from ethnic minority communities, people aged under 50 and people from a range of socio-economic backgrounds.

If you have a disability and require an adjustment at any stage of the public appointments process, please get in touch with the Scottish Government Public Appointments Team by email at .

THE ROLE OF THE LAND AND COMMUNITIES COMMISSIONER

The Land and Communities Commissioner (LCC) will have a central role in implementing the new measures introduced by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 relating to large landholdings. This is a new and significant role, offering a unique opportunity to work with Scottish Ministers and stakeholders to inform the development of regulations and guidance, including through the LCC's statutory consultation role. As the first appointment to the role, you will also help establish the role within the Scottish Land Commission, developing priorities, processes and ways of working.

Once the relevant provisions of the 2025 Act are commenced, the LCC will have specific statutory responsibilities relating to large land holdings, including:

• enforcing community-engagement obligations including land management plans for large land holdings, imposed by future regulations (the draft of which the LCC must be consulted on),
• preparing reports for Scottish Ministers to inform their making of lotting decisions,
• collaborating with the Land Commissioners and Tenant Farming Commissioner where their functions relate to those of the LCC, and
• exercising any other functions conferred by enactment.

The LCC will be expected to engage widely with landowners, land managers, communities and other stakeholders, and will have access to training, legal advice and other support. As a member of the Commission, the LCC will share responsibility with fellow Commissioners for the effective governance of the Commission and the delivery of its statutory functions.

ELIGIBILITY

A person cannot be appointed as the LCC if they currently own, or have owned within the previous 12 months, land that exceeds 1,000 hectares. In certain circumstances, a person whose land is less than 1,000 hectares may also be disqualified; this will depend on ownership and other connections between that land and nearby land which may cumulatively total over 1,000 hectares. Applicants are asked to share details about their interests in land in the application so this can be considered. Other disqualifications also apply, and the panel will take into account actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest; full details are set out in the Applicant Information Pack. If you have a question about your eligibility, please contact the Scottish Government Land Reform Team at

PARLIAMENTARY APPROVAL

The appointment must be approved by the Scottish Parliament. The candidate nominated by the Cabinet Secretary will be considered by the Scottish Parliament Rural Affairs Committee, which may take evidence from them informally, formally in private or formally in public. The Parliament will then vote on the appointment. This is expected in February or early March 2027. Information from your application and a summary of evidence from the assessment process, including the results of the fit and proper person test, will be shared with the Committee, for the purposes of its consideration of the appointment. The Committee may publish some or all of this information at any stage of its consideration and it may therefore enter the public domain. By applying for this role you are agreeing to relevant information being shared with the Committee. Further details are set out in the Applicant Information Pack.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Michael Russell, Chair of the Scottish Land Commission, at between 30 October and 13 November 2026, or Hamish Trench, Chief Executive of the Scottish Land Commission, at between 14 and 27 November 2026.

The Scottish Land Commission online information event: Tuesday 10 November 2026 at 7pm, please use this link to find out more and to register.

Further information about the Scottish Land Commission can be found at