Ferries communities board is a “fig-leaf”

Only a handful of members of the public turned up for the poorly advertised meeting and much of the discussion centred on the powerlessness of the advisory body. No members of the “real” CalMac board were in attendance.

One contributor dismissed the Community Board as a “fig-leaf” and said that although it is made up of islanders who understand the issues it is “just not being listened to” when it comes to decisions about CalMac and its services.

Murdo Maclean, a Community Board member from Lewis, said they shared these frustrations. “We hope with the new contract we can put that right. That’s certainly the case that we will be making - that we will have more of a role in the new contract.”

While the Scottish Government has laid emphasis on giving the Community Board more input, it has resisted pressure for any significant changes in governance which would give local authorities a role or devolve senior management from Gourock to the islands.

When the lack of representation from island communities on the boards of CalMac and CMALwas raised, Alasdair Allan MSP said it was “undoubtedly the case” that more islanders should be at board level and that he had made these representations himself.

He said there had been a “misunderstanding” about the role of the Community Board and that some people felt they were actually part of the decision-making process when they are not.

“I don’t think there can be any misunderstanding, Alasdair,” said another member of the public. “These guys (the Community Board) actually know something about the islands. They are not put there because they are an accountant in the Central Belt or because of their political leanings.” Mr Allan responded: “I don’t know the political leanings of CalMac board members.”

While a low-key event, the small gathering heard of significant concerns around the new on-line booking system and the lack of integration with other transport connections, namely buses.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar chief executive Malcolm Burr said: “The other one is the vessel replacement programme. We are all dancing for joy because there are all these new vessels coming to the islands, to Harris, to North Uist, and the replacement of the smaller vessels, though not as quickly as we would like.

“But we mustn’t be fooled by the splurge of spend. There still needs to be a programme”. He referred to uncertainty affecting Lochboisdale with doubts around both pier and ferry procurement. Mr Burr added: “I could say a lot more, but I’ll leave it at that.”

The Ferries Community Board is run as part of CalMac which carries information about it on its web-site. The Board has frequently expressed frustration about its own lack of powers. Its chariman, Angus Campbell, has called for a “change in the culture of the bodies involved in delivering ferry services".