Orkney Islands Council Leader James Stockan has welcomed the announcement of a substantial increase in Scottish Government funding for inter-island ferry services in the Northern Isles.
Delivering the draft Scottish Budget, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said Government funding for local ferry operations in Orkney and Shetland would increase by £7.7 million in 2021-2022.
Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands has written to Councillor Stockan to confirm that OIC is due to receive £7.855 million in the next financial year.
This would ensure that the Council is fully funded to run the internal ferry services during the year ahead.
It would also allow the introduction of further all-year-round Sunday services and a Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) fare structure on Orkney’s inter-island ferry routes.
Councillor Stockan said: “After many years of campaigning by the council, this is very welcome news and an important day for Orkney – it will make a big difference to people’s lives in communities across the county.
“We have long argued that our ferries provide a truly lifeline service for the islands they serve – and that the operation should be fully funded by the Government, as happens in many other areas of Scotland.
“I am delighted that the Government has recognised this – as well as the strong case we put forward for additional funding that will allow year-round Sunday sailings to Rousay, Egilsay, Wyre, Hoy and Flotta and the introduction of an RET equivalent fare structure on our local routes.
“I wish to put on record my sincere thanks to Kate Forbes and Paul Wheelhouse for meeting with me last week, listening carefully to our case and responding in this positive way.”
Councillor Stockan added: “Our ambition is to deliver a local ferry service that meets the highest national standards – with more frequent sailings to the isles, for example.
“Today’s announcement is an important step – we will be delivering an increase in service for the first time in many years. However, there is still some way to go before our inter-island service is of a standard we see elsewhere in Scotland. We will continue to engage with the Government on this – and on the need to replace the ageing ferries in our fleet.”
