It’s time for Holyrood to Invest in the West

The ferry crisis that we have been covering almost every week in the Lochaber Times has brought some of our most outlying and rural communities to their knees.

Businesses that have thrived for 100 years or more are struggling to stay afloat as visitor numbers slump. People are being forced to think about relocating just to try and survive, nevermind rebuild a more sustainable way of life. This has now become a much wider problem than people finding a reliable way to get on and off our islands. This is a crisis that will result in livelihoods being ruined, employment opportunities drying up and families being forced to move elsewhere to make ends meet. It will squeeze the life out of our most rural communities.

Urgent action is needed now. We cannot allow the damage that will be done by depopulation, we cannot allow the fabric of our communities to be torn apart, and we cannot allow the people who make our part of Scotland so special to be driven away. The people of Tiree are this week calling for £100,000 to support their economy, while Mull residents recently told us they have lost an estimated £1million due to the ferry fiasco that continues to cripple travel on and off the island.

Our readers feel they are being failed by those in Holyrood – and it is hard to disagree.

Today the Lochaber Times is calling on the Scottish Government to open its eyes and take seriously the very real threat to our way of life that is unfolding right now across the West Coast and Highlands.

Our Invest in the West campaign will be backing the fight for proper compensation and support for our communities, holding those in power to account and asking what can be done to safeguard the future of our communities amid what is already a crippling cost of living crisis.

People have had enough and the time has now come for everyone to stand together and fight for a fairer deal.