SNP votes have fallen in Scotland’s islands following ferry delays
ISLAND communities delivered an emphatic verdict to the Scottish Government over the ongoing ferries scandal, with the SNP vote slumping and bucking the national council elections trend.
The hit was felt in Arran, Bute, Skye, Raasay, and the Outer Hebrides despite the SNP again finishing as the biggest party in the election with Labour coming second and the Conservatives suffering big losses.
Delays and huge cost overruns in delivering two lifeline CalMac ferries – which delivery vital links and supplies to the islands – have caused a political scandal.
The ships, still being built at the Inverclyde yard Ferguson Marine, will be at least five years late and the latest estimate of the spiralling cost places the price at £250 million, over two-and-ahalf-times higher than the original contract price.
Eilean a’ Cheò, one of the Highland Council wards which is part of the SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford’s Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch constituency, elected a Conservative councillor for the first time ever, according to the party.
The ward which includes Skye, the fourth most populous island in Scotland along with Raasay and other smaller islands, saw a -4.3 per cent drop in the first preference vote for the SNP while the Scottish Conservatives registered a 1.6% increase and with it the “historic” election of Ruraidh Stewart.
On Arran, which has suffered hits to ferry services due to breakdowns caused by CalMac’s ageing vessels, Scottish Conservative Timothy Billings was voted onto North Ayrshire Council after seeing a nominal 19% increase in vote.
Meanwhile, the SNP saw their support drop by over 14.4% as voters expressed their frustration at seeking a new vessel for the island continually delayed.
Mr Billings said the ferry scandal played a major part in the election results.
“There is much anger and frustration at the ongoing disruptions to Arran’s ferry service. Everybody living on an island knows that from time to time the ferry will not run due to extreme weather, but what we are now seeing is ever-increasing levels of disruption caused by infrastructure failures both with the ferries and the port facilities,” he said.
“Ever since I was elected as a councillor for Arran in 2017, I have been raising concerns about the reliability of the service. There has been a lot of talk from the SNP Scottish Government about the new ferry and improvements to ports, but we know that the new ferry is already five years late and is not due for at least another 18 months. Every cancellation or delay to our ferry service creates chaos and every aspect of island life is effected both economically and socially.
“I am frequently told of the harm that is being caused to businesses from farming, construction and tourism, as well as residents having to cancel mainland appointments and travel arrangements. I personally know of people who have had enough and are moving back to the mainland, some of whom will be leaving jobs in health and care services.
“It is clear that the ferry played some part in my re-election as Arran’s sole councillor. However, that is not the whole story as I have been a very active and high-profile councillor for the past five years.”
Bute Tory
MEANWHILE, Bute elected its first Scottish Conservative councillor for 40 years while the SNP vote took another hit.
Peter Wallace for the Scottish Conservatives bucked the national trend by increasing his share by 0.5% to get elected with Independent Liz McCabe and the SNP’s Reeni Kennedy-Boyle. In 2017, Mr Wallace got 17.2% of the first preference votes and missed out.
Reeni Kennedy-Boyle for the SNP got elected with 25.4% of the first preference votes but that was a drop of 8% on 2017 when there were two nationalist candidates, Jim Findlay and
Robert MacIntyre, who together polled 33.4%.
“The importance of a reliable ferry service was an issue that featured widely during the local election campaign,” said Mr Wallace.
“These lifeline services are of critical importance, not only for getting essential goods and services to and from the Isle of Bute, but also for people attending hospital appointments on the mainland and visiting clinicians coming to the island.
“Tourism is also vital to the island’s economy and the ability of visitors to plan and complete their journey with reliable transport links is essential to Bute’s ongoing recovery from the impact of Covid.”