A COUNCIL has hit out at the absence of islanders on Scotland’s state-owned ferry firm after new board members were appointed.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CnES) says it is “disappointed” that the Scottish Government hasn’t put any island residents onto the board of the publicly owned David MacBrayne Limited (DML), which runs CalMac ferries, despite a number of new appointments.
Transport Scotland says it would be inappropriate to impose limits on where board members come from.
But CnES transportation and infrastructure chair Uisdean Robertson says there’s community “anger” over moves which saw mainlanders given the positions.
He said there is “little wonder” that ferry bosses are “detached from the reality of their decisions when they are based far away at a headquarters in Inverclyde and those appointed to hold the company to account have limited experience of how the company’s actions affect people from Lewis to Arran”.
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And Independent Ferries Community Board chair Angus Campbell added: “Life experience of living on islands and first-hand knowledge of how lifeline ferry services impact on island communities are an essential part of the skill mix required to undertake these roles. An opportunity has been lost to add knowledge and improve decision making for both the company and the communities they serve.”
The Scottish Government said: “Ministers are committed to ensuring that island residents and communities’ views are represented appropriately and have asked the new chair, as a priority, to consider how this might be achieved. DML board members were appointed based on their experience and abilities. An understanding of the role of transport, including ferries, in maintaining the economic and social integrity of the Highlands and Islands is a requirement for all board members.”
That new chair is Erik Ostergaard, who currently leads Scotland’s ferries-and-ports operation Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMal) but will move into the DML role on January 3.
Scottish Police Authority board member Grant Macrae, Sharon O’Connor of the Accounts Commission and Aberdeen-based Tim Ingram, who chairs the Western Isles Health Board’s audit committee, all secured board seats.
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