SNP vows £10m island fund and to put locals on ferry boards

A £10 million island resilience fund will be launched in the first 20 days of an SNP administration, John Swinney has said, with islanders to be put on the boards of Scotland’s ferry operator.

The First Minister’s pledges come ahead of a two-day visit to the Western Isles as part of the SNP’s election campaign.

Opposition parties have called for more compensation to be offered to islanders impacted by ferry issues, while Scottish Labour’s plans for the network include ensuring locals are on the board of the publicly owned ferry operator CalMac.

The SNP’s pledge would also see island representation on the board of David MacBrayne – the parent company of the ferry operator.

The First Minister said the islands “have always held a special place in my heart”, adding: “I care about them deeply, and as First Minister I will always ensure that the needs of island communities are at the heart of government.

“I know that people on our islands have suffered real disruption as a result of issues with ferry services since the start of the year, so the SNP Government will set up and provide the support they need with a new £10 million resilience fund.

“It is clear to me that ferry services need to be more understanding of and responsive to the needs of our island communities.

“That is why I can confirm that the SNP Government will take steps to ensure that the boards of both CalMac and David MacBrayne have proper representation of island residents.

“These ferry services are a lifeline for our islands and they must have island residents at their heart, setting the agenda, bringing their perspectives to the heart of decision making and making the voices of our islands heard.

“That is what you get from the me and the SNP – a First Minister and a government that is always on the side of Scotland’s islands.”

Scottish Labour transport spokesman Daniel Johnson said: “John Swinney must think islanders button up backwards if he expects them to believe a word he says on ferries.

“This patronising nonsense from John Swinney adds insult to injury and bizarrely seems to suggests the ferry crisis just began this year.

“For years people have missed weddings, funerals, medical appointments and interviews, and businesses have lost customers and struggled to get products on and off the island.

“After the damage the SNP’s ferry fiasco has done to lives and livelihoods, it takes a brass neck for John Swinney to claim he is on the side of our islands.”

The Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Argyll and Bute, Alan Reid, said: “This is John Swinney in full-on panic mode.

“I have spent the past four days on Mull and Iona talking to voters and they are furious about their ferries being out of action time and time again.

“John Swinney has had almost two decades to deliver for coastal and island communities. Making promises in the 11th hour of the 19th year of SNP Government will not convince anyone.

“This week has delivered the first poll showing Scottish Liberal Democrats ahead of the SNP in Argyll & Bute. I suspect their doorknockers will be discovering similar things in Shetland, in the Western Isles, and up and down the west coast.”

Scottish Conservative islands spokesman Jamie Halcro Johnston said: “John Swinney has some brass neck pretending the SNP are a friend of Scotland’s island communities.

“He has been at the heart of a Government over the last two decades who have betrayed them at every turn.

“Their ferries fiasco is a complete scandal which has decimated businesses in our islands and left islanders without lifeline services.

“The SNP have also overseen the removal of key local services in island communities and have done nothing to stop people leaving our islands for opportunities elsewhere.”