News / Island powers meeting soon
MOVES are already afoot to advance the campaign for more political influence to be handed to the Scottish islands after last week’s independence referendum.
One week after Scotland voted 55:45 to remain part of the United Kingdom, Scottish secretary and northern isles MP Alistair Carmichael is setting up meetings with the three island councils to discuss implementing the Islands Framework agreed in August.
Meanwhile the Scottish government has pledged to continue its work with the Our Islands, Our Future campaign, which resulted in their 80 page proposal Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities.
On Friday Carmichael said he had written to the three councils reaffirming the UK government’s desire to implement its promises in the framework.
The Scottish Office has already appointed a dedicated officer to handle island-related issues and is looking at how to improve influence in the European Commission.
Now, he said, the councils need to choose who should sit on the oil and gas industry/government taskforce PILOT and to discuss aims for changes to the way the Crown Estate Commission manages the seabed around the isles.
He added that he would like to see the islands represented in the Scotland Devolution Commission headed up by Robert Smith, Lord Smith of Kelvin, in the aftermath of the referendum.
“I am proud that the islands are leading the way in looking at ways to increase decision making within local communities,” he said.
Carmichael also called on the Scottish government to devolve more powers to local communities on issues such as transport, health and policing.
After publishing their offer to the isles in the event of a Yes vote last week, the MP said that following the referendum’s outcome Holyrood should not “retreat into their shell when it comes to more powers for our island communities”.
He said: “People in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles overwhelmingly backed remaining part of the UK and, as they have made abundantly clear, their campaign for more local decision making is not, was not and has never been based on the referendum outcome.
“As we move forward together as part of the UK, I urge the Scottish government to listen to the islands and decentralise decision-making back to them where they belong.”
In response, a Scottish government spokesperson said: “Local government minister Derek Mackay has already spoken to all three island councils since the outcome of the referendum and going forward we intend to continue this work with Scotland’s islands to discuss the respective proposals.”
Shetland Islands Council leader Gary Robinson was unavailable for comment.
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