Community buyout of Ulva is funded by the taxpayer

Regarding Colin Morrison’s letter in The Oban Times of May 31, I like would say that he is himself being ‘facile and one-dimensional’ over the sale of Ulva.

Jamie Howard, like most other individuals in Scotland, is not allowed the pleasure of accessing millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money and there is a good chance that if the island had been left on the open market it would have raised more money for Mr Howard and his family.

The community buyout is, in fact, funded mainly by the taxpayer and it is obvious from other community buyouts that the future of Ulva will rely on much more free taxpayers’ money in years to come to make it viable.

Mr Morrison’s comment that the money goes to only one person, the departing owner, smacks of a rather nasty side to community buyouts.

Will Mr Morrison and those in this community buyout group be dipping their hands into their own bank accounts to kickstart Ulva’s future prosperity?

Or will they now be actively seeking grants and subsidies from the rest of the taxpayers in Scotland or our poor councils or other named bodies?

The group’s website, www.ulvabuyout.scot, states: ‘I believe that the people who live and work here are best placed to run the island.’

Wasn’t Jamie Howard one of those people? Cyril Bonnett, Ballachulish.