Island communities say ‘structural and cultural change’ required

On July 10th, Transport Scotland published its ‘Project Neptune: Communities Report on Future Management of Ferries’. Written by Angus Campbell, Chair of the Ferries Communities Board, the report is the result of an extensive community consultation covering every island and port in the Clyde and Hebrides network.

The Report adds a final confirmation to a growing body of evidence that all points to the same conclusion. In the words of Mr Campbell’s report:
“The vast majority of communities do not feel the present ferry system is designed to maximise benefit for islanders. There needs to be a reset in the relationship between those designing and managing lifeline services and the communities they serve.

“Change needs to happen immediately and to recognise the common benefits from a collaborative and inclusive approach.

“Structural change is essential, as detailed in the recommendations, but that alone will not capture the improvements needed. The wider recommendations must be progressed simultaneously, including the need for that culture change, or we will simply be moving the deckchairs.”

Hopes for additional capacity on the Lochmaddy service were raised last month when CalMac re-introduced the mezzanine deck as standard; the company has since confirmed that the move was made only to manage an error in the online ticketing system, which had resulted in overbooking.

CalMac say that the additional space is neither required nor affordable, citing data that shows the Uig/Lochmaddy service operated at just 76% of available capacity last summer and adding that the cost of reinstating the additional deck on all sailings would be around £900k, a cost it says it cannot carry without additional support from Scottish Government.

Costs were also an issue for the beleaguered South Uist business community, which is still reeling from the loss of the Lochboisdale service over the month of June.

With support from Stòras Uibhist, the South Uist Ferry Impact Group has commissioned a new independent economic impact assessment to better understand the financial implications of June’s loss of service through Lochboisdale.

The work is being carried out by MKA Economics at Stirling University, the same team which undertook a similar assessment when the Lochboisdale service was cancelled in May last year, concluding a loss of between £600k and £700k for that two week period.

Stòras CEO Darren Taylor said: “We have been told to provide ‘data’ to demonstrate the impact of the cancellations, so that’s what we will do. We will then fully expect CalMac and the government to keep their part of the bargain and act on what this data shows.”

“What we really want is a reliable ferry service but until we have that, we will keep pushing for support for our local businesses who are being impacted so severely by CalMac and Transport Scotland.

“We will be using the data collected from the survey to help our argument with CalMac and the government and we would encourage any business impacted by the recent cancellations to complete the survey and have their voice heard.”

Ceòlas is also carrying out a survey to gauge how the loss of reliable ferry services affected the confidence of their visitors.

The direct action undertaken by campaigners both here and in Glasgow seems to have had a positive effect, as it proved to be a relatively good month for CalMac-Uist relations.

In early July, the breakdown of MV Loch Alainn caused a loss of service on the Eriskay to Barra route. CalMac’s mitigation plans were swiftly put into action and on the whole were well-received. A local passenger charter was secured and LOTI was deployed to make an unscheduled Barra Lochboisdale journey before the relief vessel Loch Bhrusda could be brought into service, operating additional trips to compensate for her reduced capacity.

A further test of relations was passed when the continued failure of MV Hebridean Isles did not result in any repercussions for Uist; for once, LOTI remained on her usual run and Uist breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The new BBC documentary Island Crossings has offered a timely reminder of the very human faces behind the troubled CalMac brand. Benbecula apprentice Samantha Jordan is one of many island workers featured in the series, which airs on the BBC on Sunday evenings.