In these times of financial hardship it is good to see one company is managing to keep their heads above water. I saw last week that Scottish and Southern, the parent company for the grid distribution company SHET, has made profits of £1.4 billion over the past year– a rise of 5.6% – not bad considering the hard times we are all living in.
To put this in perspective – the cost of the interconnector, essential for the renewables industry that could transform the economic fortunes of the Islands, has been put at £700m. So if S&S were to put half their yearly profit into a project they would still have a healthy profit of £700m – for one year! Oh and they would also get the interconnector money back over the next few years – doesn’t seem like a bad deal…
Harris Tweed Hebrides are to be congratulated on their outstanding achievement in gaining the top two awards in the UK Fashion and Textile Awards.
The company won UK Textile Business of the Year and UK Manufacturing Company of the Year.
This is a fantastic success story for the company, the Western Isles and Scotland and on behalf of the Comhairle I congratulate the company and all their staff. The Comhairle has always been pleased to support the industry and it is great to see this iconic Western Isles product receiving national recognition.
From HIE’s press release yesterday:
‘Successful results delivered by region’s development agency
Inverness Campus, HIE’s biggest project to date and due to open in Summer 2013, is already attracting interest from a range of organisations interested in locating in this once in a lifetime development.’
Wouldn’t it be great if HIE’s “once in a lifetime development” was in South Uist, or in remote Sutherland or in the Argyll islands rather than Inverness, the very last place in the Highlands and Islands that needs another “once in a lifetime development”?
For the avoidance of any doubt, the amendment that was put forward at the budget setting meeting in February is below.
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Mr Rae Mackenzie, seconded by Mr Gordon Murray, moved the following amendment:
That the Comhairle agree the budget item except the Budget Choices and to re-profile the use of balances as set out in (e) below and to:
(a) agree to implement the budget choices set out in Budget Item (d) Appendix B with the following changes:
(i) C4 (Reduction in staffing in Technical Services) with the savings increased to £40k in 2013/14 and a further £40k in 2014/15;
(ii) C11 (Conservation Grants) with the savings increased to £16k in 2013/14;
(iii) C17 (Education and Children’s Services training) with the savings increased to £48k in 2013/14 and a further £48k in 2014/15;
(iv) C42 (Reduction in Chief Executive’s Department Staffing) with the savings increased to £71k from 2014/15
(v) C64 (Economic Development service redesign) with savings increased to £76k from 2014/15;
(vi) C71 (Review of Schools Estate/Judicial Review) with the savings reduced to £311k (£233k in 2013/14 and £78k in 2014/15) from the savings arising from the Judicial Review;
(vii) C75 (Shared Headships) with the savings reduced to £45k in 2013/14 through the introduction of a shared head between Back and Tolsta; |
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(b) agree not to implement the following Budget Choices
(i) C25 (Penumbra) £35k;
(ii) C34 (Additional Support Needs) £20k;
(iii) C35 (School Transport) £107k;
(iv) C52 (Cleaning in Comhairle Offices) £10k;
(v) C72 (Lionel School as a hub of the Nicolson Institute) £62k;
(vi) C74 (Children and Families Team staffing) £117k;
(vii) C78 (Itinerant Teachers) £460k;
(viii) C80 (Action for Children SLA) £20k;
(ix) C82 (Asymmetric Week) £120k;
(x) C68 (Apprentice Training) £10k;
(xi) C70 (Public Convenience grants) £27k;
(xii) C73 (Discontinuing Barra to Benbecula Air Service) £148k;
(xiii) C77 (Community Transport grants) £60k;
(xiv) C79 (Reducing Benbecula to Stornoway Air Service to 3 weekdays) £173k;
(xv) C55 (Reduction in funding for Employability Programmes – OHMEET) £7k;
(xvi) C56 (Income from events and advertising at Ionad Spòrs Leodhais) £7k;
(xvii) C24 (Remove vacant Local Area Co-ordinator post in Uist and Barra) £18k;
(xviii) C46 (Management of sickness absence in overnight support services) £52k;
(xix) C58 (Lease vehicles for home care workers) £30k;
(xx) C43 (Trimming of Union Representation and Personnel budgets) £11k; |
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(xxi) C50 (Reduction in Sgioba na Gàidhlig budgets) £24k;
(xxii) C63 (Significantly reduce the level of paid Union representation) £39k;
(c) to implement the following Budget Choices that the Comhairle was previously not minded to make:
(i) U1 (Economic Development – Business Support) £30k in 2013/14;
(ii) U2 (Economic Development – Arts Development) £9k in 2013/14;
(iii) U3 (Economic Development – Tourism £16k) in 2013/14;
(iv) U4 (Economic Development – Creative Industries) £10k in 2013/14;
(d) to discontinue the Ward Priority Fund from 1 April 2013 £155k;
(e) to fund the remaining budget deficit using balances of £581k in 2013/14 and £1,496k in 2014/15; and
(f) to ask the Chief Executive to bring forward Reports to work to begin restructure and redesign of the Comhairle’s organisational structures from the year 2014. |
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Mr Donald John Macrae, seconded by Mr Angus McCormack moved the following further amendment:
that the Comhairle implement budget choice C25 (Penumbra) on the basis of a revised saving of £1k from 2013/14 and a further £1k from 2014/15 (£2k cumulatively) and that the level of balances be reduced accordingly. |
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The first amendment in the name of Mr Mackenzie, seconded by Mr Murray, was debated against the Motion. The vote was taken by roll call as follows:
| MOTION |
AMENDMENT |
| Mr Norman A MacDonald (Convener) |
Mr Donald Manford |
| Mr Angus Campbell (Leader) |
Mr Philip R McLean |
| Mr Ronald Mackinnon |
Mr Donald John Macrae |
| Mr Donnie Steele |
Mr Rae Mackenzie |
| Mr Uisdean Robertson |
Mr Gordon Murray |
| Mr Archie K Campbell |
Mr Kenneth Macleod |
| Mr Neil M Beaton |
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| Mr Charlie Nicolson |
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| Mr David Blaney |
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| Mr Angus Morrison |
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| Mr Donald Macleod |
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| Mr Norman M Macleod |
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| Mrs Zena Stewart |
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| Mr Alasdair Macleod |
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| Mr Angus McCormack |
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| Mr Roddie Mackay |
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| Mr Iain Mackenzie |
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| Mr Iain M Macaulay |
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| Mr Kenneth M Murray |
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| Mr Donald Crichton |
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| Mrs Catriona Stewart |
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| Mr John Mackay |
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| Mr Iain Morrison |
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| Catherine Macdonald |
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Good news in Leverburgh where the lifeboat station has become the first new all-weather station in Scotland for 22 years.
The recognition follows the lifeboat carrying out 17 rescues.
This is a fantastic achievement by the local community and I am sure the whole of the Western Isles will join me in congratulating them. It is particularly impressive given the small population that the crews are drawn from.
In recent years we have seen increasing threats to the safety of maritime users with the withdrawal of the Emergency Tug and the threatened closure of Stornoway Coastguard Station (thankfully reprieved following a successful community campaign). It is a real pleasure to see something which is increasing the safety of maritime users.
Very welcome announcement yesterday from Cabinet Secretary for Finance John Swinney of £1.8m from the European Regional Development Fund for the Lews Castle restoration. This completes the funding package and enables the Comhairle to press ahead with the complete £14m project which will restore the Castle, provide a new museum and archive for the Outer Hebrides, a unique hospitality venue and an enhanced, islands wide heritage service. I am delighted we have got to this stage and I would thank all our funding partners; Heritage Lottery Fund £ 4,133,028 Historic Scotland £ 592,000 Highlands and Islands Enterprise £ 1,000,000 Scottish Ministers/Historic Scotland £ 1,551,265 ERDF £ 1,800,000 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar £ 4,306,715
The Cabinet Secretary made many visits during his visit to the Islands and met with a wide variety of people including at Arnish, the Harris Tweed Authority, Hebridean Chocolates, the Media Centre at Seaforth Road and North Tolsta Community Project. He was impressed by many of the activities he saw during the day, particularly so with the young people he met regarding Harris Tweed and their pride in the unique cloth that is an iconic symbol of the Western Isles.
It’s excellent news that the Western Isles now has a young person elected as a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYP). It is important for young people’s views to be represented and I wish Roy every success as an MSYP.
http://www.syp.org.uk/eilean-siar-western-isles-W21page-399-
Roy will officially become the Western Isles MSYP at the June sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament. His term will run for two years.
This is being supported as part of the Youth Engagement Project which is being part financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Leader Innse Gall 2007-2013 programme.
I was pleased this week to attend the launch of a new scheme within the Comhairle to reduce energy consumption and costs. For a long time I have been fighting a battle on this front – turning lights off in empty rooms, turning equipment off and generally trying to save electricity. Well, for my efforts I have now been made a ‘champion’ – along with 30 or so other ‘volunteers’. The campaign will be aimed primarily at Comhairle staff but there will be information which can be also be used in the home.
And some of the myths surrounding energy use are interesting:
It uses more electricity to turn a fluorescent tube light off and on – not true
A screen saver saves electricity on a computer – not true
It’s cheaper to leave a computer switched on – not true
The Comhairle spends in the region of £3.1m on energy use in its buildings during the course of a year. If we can make savings the money can be diverted to services and/or jobs so it is something well worth doing.
Today at COSLA we had two very interesting presentations- one from David O Neil, President of COSLA and one from John Swinney, Scottish Government Finance Secretary.
David emphasised the need for constitutional protection for Local Government and no return to ring fencing. He recognised the need for continuous improvement and the need for the best possible level of services. There was also a plea for more democratic input into public bodies locally.
John replied by emphasising that there would be no change in the number of Local Authorities and no return to ring fencing. He felt this allowed Authorities to make individual choices and gave them more flexibility.
He committed to an agenda of mutual respect and joint policy making and recognised the challenge of working with a fixed budget. He said it was the same for him.
He welcomed the reform of delivery of services but emphasised the need for more co-operation between local bodies and although community planning has come a long way there were still challenges to be faced.
Finally he called for more capital spend from all levels of government to boost the economy and jobs.
The appearance of TV Presenter Lorraine Kelly at Barra Airport and the comments she made about the decision of the Comhairle to discontinue the Barra/Benbecula service – she disapproves – illustrate the point pretty well. Why should the Comhairle subsidise highly paid celebrities on holiday when we have had to implement the toughest set of budget cuts I can remember in the Comhairle? Remember the decision was taken in light of the following:
The subsidy per passenger per one-way trip is £83. Three quarters of seats are flown empty. Passenger numbers on the Sound of Barra ferry are more than 20 times those on the air service. In 2011 a third of passengers were sightseers, 14% were NHS employees and 4% were Council staff.
And in discontinuing that service we are opening up the possibility of enhancing the Barra/Glasgow service by increasing the flights frequency to twice a day. I’m sure Lorraine Kelly is a lovely woman but she should check the facts before jetting in and criticising the Comhairle.
