The Scottish Government has announced an extra £1million in funding for island communities which have been disproportionately affected by the cost-of-living crisis.
Well-documented issues with ferries and other local issues have caused discontent in recent months, with a majority of councillors in Orkney calling for the local authority to investigate constitutional change options - including going independent.
Shetland has called for greater infrastructure investment and funding from Holyrood, while islanders on South Uist in the Hebrides staged a mass protest at repeated ferry issues.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has hit islands hard, due to the colder climate, higher fuel and energy costs and reduced consumer choice.
Read More: Orkney 101: Answering the question of Orcadian independence
Estimates by Shetland Islands Council suggest that the costs of living in some island areas are 20 to 65 per cent higher than the UK average.
In response the Scottish Government has announced £1m in new funding for island communities.
It will be distributed to six local authorities responsible for Scotland's islands, with support targeted where they feel it will be most effective and towards people, communities and businesses who are struggling the most.
Argyll & Bute will be given £141,000; Highland £105,000; Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Outer Hebrides) £257,000; North Ayrshire - which includes Arran and the Cumbraes - £57,000; Orkney £218,000 and Shetland £222,000.
Announcing the funding while visiting Shetland, Local Government Empowerment Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “No one in Scotland has been shielded from the cost of living crisis – which has been exacerbated by the inflationary crisis caused by UK Government actions. But islanders often face even greater challenges, due to the unique circumstances of island life.
“Island council leaders have seen the cost of living crisis become more entrenched in their communities. As Minister responsible for local government, I am determined to step up and help those who need it the most even when the UK Government is turning its back on people.
“We have listened to island local authorities and are providing this £1 million of additional funding to help them target support where they have the most concerns.”
The additional £1 million funding is for the 2023-24 financial year and will be distributed to the six island local authorities through the 2023/24 Local Government Revenue Grant. It brings the total support provided by the fund to £2.4 million.
Read More: 'We might need RAF airdrops': The 'forgotten' ferry crisis gripping Orkney
Councillor Maureen Chalmers, COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson said:“The cost-of-living crisis continues to have a disproportionate impact on our island communities, with some areas facing costs up to 65% higher than on the mainland.
“This funding will allow for the continuation of past measures made possible by the Fund such as electricity vouchers, provision of meals and supporting local food initiatives.
“We appreciate the joint work which has taken place between Scottish and Local Government to ensure this funding is available to our most vulnerable islands communities before the winter.”
The Scottish Government has also launched a public consultation to review the current priorities of the National Islands Plan, five years after it was first published, which island communities are being invited to respond to.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel