Councils seek meeting with Mundell

The Scottish island authorities that launched the Our Islands Our Future campaign in 2013 are seeking meetings with the new UK government to gain reassurances about the future.

Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles councils hope that the new Conservative majority government will continue to honour the project, which began life under the previous Tory/LibDem coalition.

Our Islands Our Future aims to achieve greater autonomy for Scotland’s outlying communities.

The three councils are seeking to meet soon with new Scottish secretary David Mundell, who was promoted to the role isles MP Alistair Carmichael had held until last week.

Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Angus Campbell, said: “We welcome the appointment of David Mundell as Secretary of State for Scotland, having worked productively with him in the past, and look forward to doing so in the future.

“We did the groundwork previously with the UK government and although there has been a change in government we would expect them to continue along similar lines with regard to Our Islands Our Future.

“Hopefully there may be additional powers for Scotland as argued for by the islands councils in their submission to the Smith Commission.”

Campbell added that he feels the change of government won’t affect Our Islands Our Future’s relationship with UK officials.