Scot Lib Dems will fix ferries for good and get Scotland moving

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today used a visit to Ardrossan to set out how his party will fix the SNP’s ferries fiasco and say that voting for his party in constituencies like Argyll & Bute, Inverclyde and Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch as well as on the peach regional ballot can deliver change with fairness at its heart for coastal and island communities.

Businesses in Ardrossan have still not received a penny of compensation from the SNP Government, despite it deciding to build a ferry that doesn’t fit the town’s harbour.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have announced that they will spend £12m compensating businesses and organisations for the disruption they’ve suffered under the SNP, which hit new heights this spring with eight ferries out of action at once.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto also commits to pass a Ferries Bill to end the SNP’s ferries fiasco for good and enable islanders and coastal communities to reap the rewards of a better service, through:

• A new legal requirement for the Scottish Government to produce a rolling 30-year ferry and port infrastructure replacement strategy, renewed every five years and approved by Parliament.
• New statutory duties to replace vessels and port infrastructure as required, replace ferries at the end of their shelf life and command government funding, ensuring no community is ever left without a viable lifeline service.
• Listening to the needs and requirements of island and coastal communities, empowering them in the decision-making process, and giving them a real say on vessel types, service-level obligations, routes and contracts, with clear mechanisms to hold those in charge to account.
• A complete restructuring of the current tripartite governance arrangements of maritime assets which includes community voices at its heart, sits independently of government and has statutory powers.
• Restoring the seasonal link between Campbeltown and Ayrshire, and instituting a full assessment of the potential of a year-round ferry link to reduce the need to travel by road past the Rest and Be Thankful.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“People are so tired and frustrated. Islanders tell me about missing medical appointments, holidaymakers cancelling, empty shelves in shops and businesses not receiving essential deliveries. The SNP have proven that they can’t be trusted with lifeline links.

“It’s shocking that no SNP minister has ever resigned despite islanders, taxpayers and shipyard workers being failed time and time again. Their ferries fiasco has become a national embarrassment.

“The Scottish Liberal Democrats believe Scotland deserves better than this. We believe in fairness for coastal and island communities. That’s why we would pass a Ferries Bill to end the SNP’s fiasco for good, get Scotland moving again and give islanders and coastal communities the fair deal and compensation they deserve.

“Let me be straight with you. You have two votes. In many constituencies like Argyll & Bute, we are on the verge of winning against the SNP, but wherever you are, every vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second peach ballot paper will deliver change with fairness at its heart.”