South Uist has been given a raw deal once again, says Isles MP
By Siân Swinton
Businesses in Uist are, once again, calling for compensation to help them cope with loss of business relating to ferry disruption.
The South Uist Business Impact Group (SUBIG) has organised a meeting for later this month to bring together local businesses and decision makers to lay out the importance of a reliable ferry service in keeping these businesses afloat.
In the invitation to the meeting SUBIG said: “The island has had its original timetabled service provided for barely more than half of the past year, the remainder cancelled or replaced with a lower level, often last minute, contingency service.
“South Uist is currently sharing a ferry with capacity for just 45 passengers, instead of 900, running to a port 85 miles away from its timetabled port of Mallaig, and taking up to 8 hours to cross instead of 3.5 hours.”
Isles MP Torcuil Crichton called it a “raw deal” for South Uist, where disruption is expected to continue for the remainder of this month and into May.
He also renewed a call for a freeze on the increase in ferry fares which is due this month. He said: “The cost of living is having an impact everywhere but if this fare rise goes ahead in April hauliers say it will inevitably add to the cost of freight and the cost of food in the islands.
“Ministers should have stuck to the advice from CalMac. The cost of sending small volumes of goods to Uist simply means that if the rise goes ahead people will pay more in local shops.”
At the meeting, SUBIG is keen to discuss issues such as the provision of a ferry service for this month and next that will allow more than 45 passengers to travel at a time, a guarantee of a new pier and ferry for Lochboisdale and for a compensation package to be agreed to give local businesses a safety net.
Speaking on behalf of SUBIG, John Daniel Peteranna said: “A financial commitment to build South Uist’s new ferry pier at Gassay (Lochboisdale) and the purchase of a new ferry would invigorate the island’s population and provide hope for the future.
“South Uist’s community and businesses want to and will thrive, and only ask for a fair opportunity to do so. The contiguous islands of Uist put it in the top 10% of UK islands by land mass and have huge potential for economic growth, to produce sustainable energy, and to contribute to hi-tech skills-based jobs, including the planned spaceport.”
Torcuil added: “Three things need to happen now. There needs to be a proper compensation scheme for island businesses, not just a rates rebate, that doesn’t touch the side of the losses, and that has to be for this year and coming seasons, measurable compensation for measurable loss until the situation is resolved.”
