SNP must reverse plans for unfair ferry fares hike

The news of ferry fares increasing came as no surprise to me. It is simply another nail in the coffin for dwindling populations on Scotland’s island network.

This came one year on since the Scottish Greens negotiated an extension of free ferry travel for under-22s as part of the Bute House Agreement. With little action from the SNP on this since we left government back in April, young islanders still await this promised support.

For young people living on our islands, ferries are routes to university interviews, college courses, urgent healthcare, and formative cultural experiences like gigs. They should be free, as buses are now for all under 22s, and the Scottish Greens will continue pressing our government to uphold their promise.

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Despite population decline through labour market challenges and impacted service delivery, many young people want to remain, return, or move to rural regions to forge their own paths.

Island life is often romanticised by mainlanders who dream of slow living, smallholdings, and close-knit communities that can be harder to establish within insular city lives.

Whether this is a result of post-lockdown etiquette or an increasingly digital existence, there is a direct call coming through that tides must turn. Young rural generations unable to follow their predecessors deserve this lifestyle with a modern twist.

Scotland is viewed globally through the lens of shortbread tins, bagpipes, and castles. As a country, we capitalise on this marketing, but low down the priority list are the real-life inhabitants of islands we claim to love and profit from.

Islanders are being priced out of local communities, looking to the mainland for opportunity; the rich are buying up homes to punt as holiday rentals for passive income, and a rocky relationship with tourism vs living continues to brew.

Everything on islands, from food to fuel, comes at a higher cost than on the mainland. It’s the unofficial tax for islanders to endure as par for the course of rural life. While we are all treading water in a cost of living crisis with seemingly no lifeboats on the horizon, it is a cruel move to increase living costs further if we want to see rural communities survive.

This must be addressed by the Government in the forthcoming budget announcements. I am concerned that our wonderful island culture will become history, and Scotland’s government will pay penance for their lack of supporting rural communities to prosper.

Our islands are full of rich culture, language, and heritage with proud, friendly communities who add value to Scotland we cannot replicate.

Islanders are frequently criticised for complaining about the hardships of rural life by those with convenience on their doorstep – access to reliable transport, modern homes on the gas network and supermarket delivery choices at the touch of a button.

The very same people who criticise benefit from islanders’ labour – filling their bellies with cheeses, adorning their bodies with tweed, filling quaichs at weddings with whiskies or gins, playing golf on their lands, and of course, some islands now generate billions in turnover through low carbon and renewable energy sectors.

Twenty-two per cent of people in my parliamentary region are islanders. Their lives are pivotal in developing our blue economy and contributing towards net zero aims. Orkney is a world leader in developing the marine energy sector. Islands the length of the country host strong renewables sectors in wind-farming and hydropower, creating a greener, more sustainable Scotland.

For a small percentage who supply so much to our country and the wider UK, my constituents’ needs seem few in return.

Tackling the rural housing crisis is now critical. I have championed retrofitting existing buildings to bring them up to liveable standards for years and will continue to, alongside calling for the Scottish Government to maintain the Rural and Islands Housing Fund.

(Image: Andrew Milligan)

Bringing fair fares for islanders who desperately need affordable ferry travel is a small token to justify if it encourages them to stay in their communities. That must start with the SNP U-turning on the price hikes announced this week.

We need urgent action from the UK Government to tackle the exorbitant energy prices islanders face, despite their communities spearheading the green energy revolution. The Labour Government could immediately overhaul energy pricing to decouple gas and electricity prices, significantly cutting bills overnight for islanders surrounded by cheap, abundant renewable energy.

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Island councils must procure more powers to raise funds and to spend the money raised on islanders’ priorities. Thanks to the Scottish Greens, councils now have the power to introduce local visitor levies, meaning communities can directly benefit financially from tourists on our beautiful islands.

I’m delighted the Highland Council is progressing with consultations on the issue and other island councils follow suit. I’m continuing to work with the Scottish Government to roll out the promised cruise ship levy, ensuring thousands of visitors to ports such as Stornoway and Lerwick contribute to strengthening island communities.

We do not have to reinvent the wheel. What we must do is consider islanders’ lived experience, increase powers to govern at local levels, and give equitable support for islanders who call Bonnie Scotland their home.