Ministers were facing fresh allegations of a “political fix” last night as people in the northern isles demanded answers over the extension of a ferry-fare discount scheme in the Hebrides.
Orkney Islands Council chairman Stephen Hagan demanded an urgent meeting with Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson and wrote to First Minister Alex Salmond expressing his “disappointment and dismay”.
The council wants to know how the Scottish Government can justify trying to cut £1million a year on subsidies to northern isles ferries while spending a further £6.5million on Western Isles services.
The government introduced its road equivalent tariff (RET) pilot scheme two years ago and it was due to end in April next year – just before the Scottish Parliament elections. However, Mr Stevenson announced on Tuesday that the trial scheme in the Hebrides would run until the spring of 2012.
The Liberal Democrats branded the move an attempt to buy support for Western Isles SNP MSP Alasdair Allan, who won the seat from Labour in 2007 with a slim 687 majority.
Orkney Islands Council announced yesterday that it would withdraw and review its response to the consultation on proposed savings measures for the northern isles services, currently provided by NorthLink, because of the RET decision.
Mr Hagan said the council had acted in “good faith” by consulting widely with the community.
He said: “At this time of cuts, I find it incredible that the Scottish Government has confirmed that they will continue to fund, for another year, a pilot which has already been in place for 30 months, at a cost of £6.5million per annum. At the same time, we are being asked to find £1million of cuts to our lifeline ferry services. This is not acceptable or fair to Orkney.”
Shetland MSP and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott said: “I am all in favour of helping island groups with costs. But if the transport minister wanted to be equally fair to the Clyde islands, the Inner Hebridean islands, the northern isles, he should devise an approach that recognises the socio-economic impact on all those islands. He is not doing that, and that is why one can only conclude this is a political fix for Alasdair Allan and to hell with the rest.”
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “These claims are inaccurate, and simply do not reflect the facts. Shetland and Orkney residents already receive a significant Scottish Government discount in fares through subsidy, and routes to Shetland already have a lower fare per mile than other islands.”
He said the subsidy to northern isles ferries had increased from £29million in 2007-08 to £36.2million.
Transport Scotland said a recent study carried out by Highlands and Islands Enterprise as part of the Scottish ferries review identified Lewis and Harris as island communities with the greatest economic disadvantage, while having the greatest potential to contribute to Scotland economic growth. In comparison, the main islands in Orkney and Shetland were identified as island communities with the least economic disadvantage.