Neglected for too long

Open letter to Shetland Islands Council Environment and Transport Committee

I was both bemused and irritated to read of the recent woes regarding the SIC inter-island ferries: Two ferry repairs cosy SIC nearly half a million; SN, 12/04/16)

I was bemused because of the two quotes labelling the expensive repairs as an “entirely unforeseeable event”.

Personally I would not describe any expensive repair as “entirely unforeseeable” on a 28-year-old vessel. The basic nature of anything mechanical means it will wear and degrade over time, especially when operating daily under harsh conditions.

With decreasing budgets and an ageing fleet the current infrastructure will only continue to provide a poorer service at a higher cost. This lifeline service has been neglected for too long.

Noises have been made about fixed links for years but ultimately nothing has been done to provide either fixed links OR new ferries and it is the islanders of Shetland as well as the council’s finances that are suffering as a result.

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Worryingly, the underspend will be made up from stealing money from elsewhere within the infrastructure budget, anyone can see that “robbing Peter to pay Paul” tactics like these are bound to cause problems in the long run.

Apparently nothing can be asked of the Scottish Government due to the upcoming election in spite of Sturgeons recent claim: “We’ve made clear we’re open to discussion with the council about the Scottish Government taking over responsibility for inter-island ferries similar to what happens in the west of the country”.

No concrete promises. To me it sounds a bit like “vote for us and then we MAY look at your exorbitant ferry costs”.
So my questions to the Committee are as follows;

• Apparently discussions have been ongoing for some time, what exactly is the SIC asking for from the Scottish Government?
• Will the Scottish Government undertake a study to investigate the feasibility of fixed links vs ferries in terms of long-term cost, advantages, disadvantages etc?
• If the discussions have been ongoing for some time why must we wait until after the election to ask any more questions?
• What is the long term plan if the Scottish Government refuses to pick up the tab for our ferries?

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The fact is this sorry situation has been rumbling on for far too long. Many folk from the North Isles feel neglected and let down by the SIC for this lack of action.

The impression in these areas is some SIC members/employees would rather avoid spending money on the rural areas, close our schools and invest in central areas instead. Are they right?

Enough of this endless centralisation, support Wir Shetland and lets all try a different approach to running these isles.

We would like to see feasibility studies and local referenda to decide for either fixed links or new ferries and then action taken – before it is too late for our vulnerable communities which are part of the fabric of Shetland.

Duncan Simpson
Membership Secretary
Wir Shetland