Scottish Liberal Democrats launch petition to extend ferries compensation

Scottish Liberal Democrats have today (Tuesday 11th November) launched a petition which calls for compensation to be given to every community affected by the SNP’s ferries fiasco, after the party highlighted that too many islands and coastal areas are excluded from the Scottish Government’s existing compensation scheme.

In June, the Scottish Government announced a fund to support businesses on just eight islands affected by disruption to ferry services.

Key island and mainland communities, including Mull, Ardrossan, Dunoon, Cumbrae, Iona, Islay and Jura, amongst others, have all been excluded from the scheme.

In September, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP raised the issue directly with the First Minister, asking him to explain why these areas will receive no compensation, despite many of them being at the forefront of disruption.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat petition calls on the SNP government to extend the scheme to all communities impacted by ferry disruption. You can sign the petition here.

Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson and West of Scotland MSP Jamie Greene said:

“The SNP’s ferry fiasco is a national embarrassment. It’s cost us a fortune and yet no SNP minister has ever had the decency to resign.

“Together with island campaigners and local businesses, I have long called for all communities to be compensated for this SNP-led mess, but the government’s belated scheme doesn’t even touch the sides.

“Communities in my own West of Scotland region like Cumbrae and Ardrossan, which have suffered endless amounts of disruption, won’t see a penny under the SNP’s scheme. It shows just how little the nationalists care about island and coastal areas, ignoring the harm that this fiasco has done to businesses, individuals, families and livelihoods.

“The First Minister can trot out as many warm words as he likes, but they do not pay the bills. He needs to extend the scheme to cover everyone impacted by yet another SNP disaster.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Argyll & Bute Alan Reid said:

“Argyll & Bute has been on the receiving end of the SNP’s ferry fiasco for years, so it is deeply frustrating that the Scottish Government scheme excludes vast swathes of this area.

“On Mull, the toy shop in Tobermory has genuinely displayed a sign that says customers can depend on their toy ferries more than they can their real-life counterparts.  

“From the loss of business to the cancellation of critical hospital appointments, islands and coastal communities across Argyll & Bute have been heavily impacted, and yet the SNP seem to be saying that many haven’t been impacted enough.

“The people of Argyll & Bute deserve better, and that’s why I am encouraging them to sign the Scottish Liberal Democrat petition, so we can ensure they are fairly compensated after suffering the fallout of yet another SNP mess.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch Andrew Baxter said:

“The SNP have effectively told people in the islands and port towns of the West Highlands that they do not deserve to be compensated for the constant disruption to their ferry services.

“Up here, we’ve seen stripped back timetables, ferry shortages, last-minute cancellations, and it is all down to the SNP government’s failure to deliver the lifeline vessels that many of our communities depend on.

“To be told that they are now not to receive compensation is a slap in the face.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to get the West Highlands moving again, and by signing this petition we can put pressure on the SNP government to finally do the right thing and compensate everyone who has been let down by their failures.”