Cllr Uisdean Robertson has reacted to Scottish Government’s announcement that Phase 1 of the Small Vessels Replacement Programme will not provide any ferries to serve routes in the Western Isles.
Scottish Government announced on Tuesday 16 July that they will procure seven new electric ferries to “help support island communities and improve the resilience of the Clyde and Hebrides ferries network”.
Responding to the announcement, Cllr Robertson, said:
“I welcome any move by Transport Scotland to improve the resilience of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network. Saying this, it is difficult to be positive about an announcement that confirms that the communities of Uist and Barra will continue to be served by inadequate vessels until at least 2030. To allow CalMac to effectively provide a lifeline service to the communities of the Western Isles they must be provided with reliable and suitable vessels. It is disappointing that the Western Isles has been excluded from Phase 1 of the programme, we will now continue dialogue with Transport Scotland to ensure that phase 2 of the programme is delivered as soon as possible and includes provision for routes within the Western Isles. In the immediate term it is vitally important that the measures recommended to Transport Scotland in the socio-economic case for change are introduced to relieve capacity constraints on the Sound of Harris and Sound of Barra routes.”