Lib Dems to work ‘constructively’ on budget as freight ferries touted in possible ‘deal’
COULD two new NorthLink freight vessels be used as a negotiating tool in the forthcoming Scottish Government budget?
This has been suggested recently in national newspaper reports.
The Sun for instance claimed that “fast-tracking” the proposed freight plus ferries could “woo” the Liberal Democrats into supporting the SNP’s budget.
The SNP minority government requires support from extra MSPs in passing its budget, and in recent years it has relied on the Greens.
But the SNP-Green Bute House agreement came to an end in April.
It has been suggested that the Liberal Democrats could work with the SNP on the next budget, which will be presented to the Scottish Parliament in early December.
The case for two new freight ferries to replace the ageing NorthLink cargo ships Helliar and Hildasay has been worked on for a number of years, but progress has been slow.
They are at the design stage, and Transport Scotland officials have been pursuing an option which would give extra passenger space on board – which could help with capacity across the wider NorthLink service at peak points.
While work continues in the background, transport chiefs have repeatedly highlighted that funding has not yet been committed by the Scottish Government for their construction.
When asked by Shetland News about the reports of the ferries being used as a possible lever, local MSP Beatrice Wishart – of the Lib Dems – said:
“The Scottish Government has had the wrong priorities and made a lot of costly mistakes in recent years, so there are lots that needs fixing, but we will work constructively on the budget process as our constituents would expect and see where this takes us.”
Speaking on 18 November, Wishart added that the “Scottish Government has not made any offer to the Scottish Liberal Democrats or myself”.
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton recently said he would like to see a spending plan “that actually works for the people we serve”, highlighting areas like housing and mental health support.
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He has confirmed that talks have been held between the Lib Dems and the SNP, but said his party would vote against plans which include spending on the promotion of Scottish independence.
In September Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) – the government company which owns the Northern Isles ferries as well as vessels used on the West Coast – said it expected to complete its designs for the two vessels, which could both carry up to 200 passengers, by December.
The vessels are hoped to be in service by 2029.
A tendering exercise for their construction could start at the beginning of 2025, but CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs previously warned that this was “on the premise that the money is available” for the two ferries.
A draft Scottish budget for 2025/26 will be presented to MSPs on 4 December.
In September the Scottish Government announced “urgent action” to balance the existing 2024/25 budget in the face of “enormous and growing pressure on the public finances” by finding savings of up to £500 million.
However in October’s UK Government budget Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves said an extra £3.4 billion is due to come Scotland’s way in 2025/26 from the treasury.
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