In 2022, Uist became one of three repopulation zones in the Highlands and Islands in order to combat the issue of population decline within our rural communities.

The dedicated post of Settlement Officer was created with the main aim being to support people who want to stay on the islands and also help others planning to make a move here.

This new job was created as a one year pilot scheme and has now been extended due to its success. Initially this post was funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CnES) and in its second year, the Scottish Government is contributing financially along with CnES.  This post was first taken up by Kareen MacRury, but now has welcomed Christina Morrison as her replacement for our Uist community.

This post supports the development of further projects and initiatives to help address population decline, and help business, families and individuals thrive in the islands.

Kareen MacRury previously told Uist Beò that:

‘The job came about because of the population decline in most of Scotland but they narrowed it down to 3 locations across the Highlands and Islands; the Western Isles, Argyll & Bute and Ullapool.

The Western Isles focuses specifically on Uist because of the decline over the last decades. I work alongside the other settlement officers and we are helping people stay, come back and move to our areas. We’re also looking to find out why people leave – economically active people – why are they moving away? and what barriers are they facing? We’re trying to find the solutions to these barriers.‘

South Uist’s Christina Morrison will continue this work of retaining our population as well as attracting new people, signposting people who want to come back to Uist with information to access local services, networks and provisions and overall guidance about the community.

 

Currently there have been 25 successful relocations supported by the Settlement Officer and there are more who are in the process of coming to Uist. Christina says:

‘I’m delighted to be taking on this important role and continuing the great work that has been completed so far. I’m acutely aware of the barriers faced by locals and others looking to move here, and I hope to work on finding solutions to these barriers, as well as being able to offer support with advice and guidance.

Uist is a special place and anyone who wants to call Uist “home” should be able to.’

Since May 2022, when this new post was first formed, we have the following facts and figures which show the impact of the Settlement Officer Role.

Of 285 Queries, 66% of these relate to general relocation advice. 13% relate to housing, 8% to childcare, and 6% to financial assistance. 7% of these enquiries are to give continued support to people once they have relocated. 

Within 79% of general relocation and housing queries, 34% are awaiting suitable housing. These are waiting for properties to become available on the market for either purchase or long-term rent.

Additional evidence of the housing issue is provided by data and statistics acquired in the Settlement Officers’ questionnaire. 49% of relocators to Uist stated that finding suitable and affordable housing was the biggest barrier when settling in Uist. 

A worrying statistic is that several non-residents are successful in accepting job offers in Uist but later find themselves unable to take the position since there is no accommodation available. This housing crisis is something that needs immediate action, not only locally but also nationally.

Christina, CnES and the Scottish Government are here to support our communities with population decline. So, for support with your move to Uist or back ‘home’ please do get in touch with Christina through her email: uistsettlement.officer@cne-siar.gov.uk.

 

You can also find information for your move on our Uist Beò page through this link: https://uist.co/live/moving-to-uist/