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Local Authority duties

What responsibilities do Local Authorities have under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003?

Local authorities are seen as the ‘guardians’ of the new right of access and the Act gives new duties and powers to them including:

A duty to “assert, protect and keep open and free from obstruction or encroachment any route, waterway or other means by which access rights may reasonably be exercised”.

Local Authorities also have the duty to develop a network of Core Paths and a Core Path Plan, they are also required to establish a Local Access Forum and publicise the and manage Sections 11 (Land exemptions), 14 (Signs, obstructions and dangerous impediments) and 23 (ploughing and disturbance) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

Scottish Outdoor Access Code
Local authorities have a duty to publicise the Code.