Late call for new CalMac directors

At present, there are no CalMac directors from any island community. This has been true of both CalMac and CMAL throughout the ferries debacles of recent years. A well-publicised local recruitment campaign might have sent a different signal.

Instead, the Scottish Government has relied on a network of existing contacts and on existing directors to “cascade down’ information about the vacancies for which applications close next week.

The Gazette’s attention was drawn to the vacancies by a former member of an unrelated quango, who noticed them through a Scottish Government web-site called “appointed-for-Scotland”. She asked us to draw them to islanders’ attention.

Our source said: “It is likely that most islanders will be completely unaware that these vacancies exist. It is the same old game. Existing quango members looking for another job are much more likely to emerge than an islander with local knowledge who might consider applying”.

When the Gazette asked the Scottish Government if the vacancies were advertised in west coast communities, the reply was: “The short answer is yes”. However, this is not supported by information provided.

Letters went to “a wide range of organisations across Scotland” with a “specific request to chief executives of island authorities

that they share details with local planning boards and other relevant community groups”.

Organisations like the Scottish Crofting Federation and Communities Inshore Fisheries Associations were notified while “Caledonian MacBrayne has confirmed that they have cascaded the adverts”.

It is also stated that “Members of the DML Board were asked to circulate details to their contacts”. However, it is unlikely these contacts will be in the islands since none of them lives there. They do, however, include Tim Ingram, the Scottish Government’s controversial appointee as vice-chair of the Western Isles NHS Board and Copenhagen-based Erik Østergaard.

The only newspaper favoured with an advertisement, according to the response, was Am Paipear in Uist. However, this estimable publication appears monthly and the next issue will coincide with the closing date for applications.

The notice inviting applications says these will be welcome from individuals “with close links to our island communities and from those with protected characteristics such as women, disabled people, LGBTI+ people, those from minority ethnic communities and people aged under 50”.

Board members are paid £320 a day. Of the other non-executive directors, all but one holds other Scottish Government appointments. In addition to Ingram, they are Susan Brownwell (Scottish Prison Authority); Grant Macrae (Scottish Police Authority) and Sharon O’Connor (Accounts Commission).

Comment: The Gazette spoke this week to a range of people who have taken an interest in ferry issues and been affected by them over the past few years.

Not one was aware that the Scottish Government is seeking to fill two vacancies for non-executive directors on the board of David MacBrayne Ltd which, effectively, means Caledonian MacBrayne. Nor were they meant to.

If there was any interest in recruiting well qualified islanders, there is a simple formula to follow. Advertise in the local media and put out a press release drawing attention to the advertisements. It is scarcely rocket science.

The complete absence of islanders from the boards of CMAL and CalMac has been one of the procurement debacle’s most prominent features. The golden rule has been to keep all voices of challenge away from these organisations.

It remains to be seen if any islanders get anywhere near these latest appointments. At least some will now know they exist and will thus have the opportunity to apply. But they had better hurry.

The idea that “existing board members” should use their “contacts” to spread awareness of these vacancies sums up what this is all about. Tim Ingram’s “contacts”? Erik Østergaard’s “contacts”.

The whole process is rotten to the core.

Even this late in the day, we would urge suitably qualified people to apply – even if the only result is to force Ministers into a decision they would otherwise have avoided.