Lib Dems launch petition to extend ferry compensation

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have launched a petition calling for compensation for every community affected by ferry disruption. 

The party argues that many islands and coastal mainland communities are excluded from the Scottish Government’s compensation scheme. 

In June, the Scottish Government announced a fund to support businesses on eight islands affected by disruption to ferry services.  

The £4.4m Island Business Resilience Fund will pay grants of up to £35,000 to eligible businesses. However, islands and mainland communities such as Mull, Ardrossan, Dunoon, Cumbrae, Iona, Islay, Jura, and others are not included in the scheme. 

In September, Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton raised the issue with the first minister, asking why these areas would receive no compensation. 

John Swinney acknowledged that there has been “disruption to ferry services in Scotland”.  

He said: “The government has put in place a compensation scheme that examines the degree of disruption in different island communities and considers where that disruption has been acute and where the delivery of payments is merited. 

“In the islands that Mr Cole-Hamilton has cited, the level of disruption has not been comparable with the level in areas with more significant disruption. That is the judgment that has been applied by ministers in putting in place a compensation scheme, and we discuss and consider such schemes with the relevant island communities.” 

Speaking ahead of the launch of the petition, the Scottish Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson Jamie Greene said the “SNP’s ferry fiasco is a national embarrassment” and “cost us a fortune and yet no SNP minister has ever had the decency to resign”.  

He said: “Together with island campaigners and local businesses, I have long called for all communities to be compensated for this SNP-led mess, but the government’s belated scheme doesn’t even touch the sides. 

“Communities in my own West of Scotland region like Cumbrae and Ardrossan, which have suffered endless amounts of disruption, won’t see a penny under the SNP’s scheme. It shows just how little the nationalists care about island and coastal areas, ignoring the harm that this fiasco has done to businesses, individuals, families, and livelihoods. 

“The first minister can trot out as many warm words as he likes, but they do not pay the bills. He needs to extend the scheme to cover everyone impacted by yet another SNP disaster.”