Value for money?

Sir, So, Brodick’s new ferry terminal is finally up and running, six months late and 66 per cent over the original budget; when first revealed in 2014 we were told the cost would be £18 million, then £22.2 million in 2016 and now £30 million.

At the same time, there will be a further delay in the £48 million plus MV Glen Sannox, built for the Arran route, entering service as it has had to go back to dry dock for modifications because it was launched ‘not fit for purpose’.

We are now also told that simulations have shown that it will not be as reliable as the current incumbent on the route, this at the end of yet another winter of weather-related delays and cancellations. My experience with simulations is that they are used to see if something you want to do is feasible before you try it, not after the event.

During the above events I have not heard one mention of penalty clauses for contracts overrunning and kit not working or not being up to spec! CMAL owns both the new ferry terminal and ferry. CMAL is ‘wholly owned by the Scottish Government’, by default you and me. I challenge the transport minister, Humza Yousaf, to stand up and say with hand on heart that the public has received value for money from these contracts instead of organising ‘research’ into whether one mainland port is better suited for travel to and from Arran than another.

The outcome of Mr Yousaf’s ‘research’ seemed more like political appeasement than the provision of a reliable ferry service for Arran. Ironic then that rumours abound that the ferries will be using Troon during Ardrossan’s makeover. If correct, will the A to B-ers abstain from using ferries plying in and out of Troon?

Yours, P W Yates Catacol