Greene launches consultation in bid to end the ferries fiasco

Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Jamie Greene MSP has today launched a wide-reaching public consultation on the future of Scotland’s ferry services, declaring that islanders and coastal communities deserve better services and to reap the rewards these would bring.

The six-week consultation opens today and seeks views from people living in island and coastal communities the length of Scotland, regular ferry users, businesses, local authorities and community councils, marine experts, staff, unions and operators.

Greene said it will help “fix the ferries from the bottom up, not top down” after the Scottish Government’s record on ferries has become a “case study in failure”.

The consultation asks respondents to identify the key challenges facing Scotland’s ferry system and provide their views on governance, ownership models, investment priorities and levels of central versus local control.

The MSP for West Scotland pointed to the case of the MV Alfred, which has been leased for emergency cover at greater cost than it would have taken to purchase the vessel outright.

He has also criticised the SNP’s Island Business Resilience Fund for excluding communities including Mull, Ardrossan and Tiree, despite severe disruption - simply because they didn’t meet narrow cancellation-rate thresholds.

Jamie Greene said:

“The SNP’s decade-long ferries fiasco is a case study in failure: disruption and dysfunction, ferries that are costing the earth to build, another leased for more than it would cost to buy, vessels that don’t fit the ports they’re built for, islanders cut off and businesses left out of pocket.

“The SNP Government have had their chance and shown themselves to be incapable of running the ferries that islanders and coastal communities rely upon. Everyone is tired of excuses and tired of ministers who hide from accountability. It’s a scandal that not a single minister has ever resigned despite all the damage they’ve done.

“It’s time for a change. This consultation is all about fixing the ferries from the bottom up, not top down, and actually listening to the local people and businesses who have been messed around - those in the know.

“I want to hear from anyone who has a stake in our ferry network, ferry operators, shipbuilders, unions, islanders, ferry user groups, businesses and marine experts. Tell us what you think needs done to secure the long-term future of Scotland’s ferry network and what it should look like in 10 or 20 years.

“Islanders and coastal communities deserve better services and to reap the rewards these would bring. This consultation is your chance to help make that happen and help the Scottish Liberal Democrats end the ferries fiasco for good.”