Friday 29 March 2024
 6°C   SSE Gentle Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

News / Conveners meet penning before MPS grill MCA

A DELEGATION of six highlands and islands conveners will lobby UK shipping minister next month to stop the closure of coastguard stations in Lerwick and Stornoway.

The meeting with Mike Penning in London takes place one day before the powerful House of Commons transport select committee interviews senior executives with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), including chief executive Sir Alan Massey, on 8 February.

Committee chairman Louise Ellman MP said they had received many representations from people about the MCA’s plans to close nine coastguard stations around the country. Leaving Scotland with one 24 hour a day operation based in Aberdeen.

The 11 member committee has previously criticised the MCA over its failure to adequately consult before closing coastguard stations and is responding to pressure from MPs in the affected areas and from local people.

Ms Ellman said: “People want to know whether there has been adequate consultation and what the possible implications of these closures will be.”

Shetland Islands Council convener Sandy Cluness welcomed the committee’s decision to take up local people’s concerns and praised the level of campaigning that has been going on ever since the MCA announced their plans just before Christmas.

“Hopefully people are starting to realise what a stupid idea this is for all the money they are going to save,” he said.

Mr Cluness will join conveners from Orkney, Western Isles, Highland, Moray and Argyll and Bute for the meeting with the shipping minister on 7 February when they will press him on the closure plans and the decision to remove the MCA’s emergency towing vessels from service in September.

On Wednesday Shetland’s marine safety sub committee met in Lerwick allowing representatives of the council, the police, Lerwick Port Authority and environmental groups to grill Stornoway-based MCA coastal safety manager Ian Burgess about the consultation to close either Lerwick or Stornoway co-ordinating stations.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

 

SIC harbourmaster Roger Moore said they pressed Mr Burgess on the overall impact the closure of the Lerwick station would have on a remote community like Shetland.

“We have a tenuous connection with Aberdeen based on unreliable communication links and the proposed new system relies heavily on this technology to control things from another station,” Captain Moore said.

“We also talked about the fact we are a small island with low unemployment and the availability of the coastguard is part of our category one civil emergency response, the loss of which would not be helpful.”

Meanwhile the Save Shetland Coastguard campaign has discovered that the Aberdeen coastguard co-ordinating station costs the MCA more money than any other station.

A response to a Freedom of Information Act request showed that the annual rent alone was more than three times the total running costs of some other stations, leaving aside the cost of staff.

The Aberdeen station costs £280,311 to operate every year, compared to £53,036 to run the Shetland base and £55,150 to run Stornoway. Rent alone for the Aberdeen station costs £154,350.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.

Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has  over 600 supporters  who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.

Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -

  • Bring you the headlines as they happen;
  • Stay editorially independent;
  • Give a voice to the community;
  • Grow site traffic further;
  • Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.

 
Categories

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

We're committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to impartial, open and quality local journalism that benefits all residents.

By supporting Shetland News, you play a vital role in ensuring we remain a pivotal resource in supporting the community.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.