[Stronsaylimpet] Ferry replacements

[Limpet editor]

/From BBC Radio Orkney:/
The cost of replacing Orkney’s inter-island ferries and upgrading piers 
and harbours has been calculated at £433 million pounds by the Islands 
Council. It will find out on Thursday if the Scottish Government has 
answered Orkney's call for funding when the Scottish budget is announced.
The substantial itemised bill for replacing Orkney's ageing ferry fleet 
and infrastructure has been presented to the Deputy First Minister, and 
interim Finance Secretary John Swinney.
The cost of replacing all of Orkney's current fleet - and an extra 
fourth vessel for the North Isles, totals £238 million pounds. 
Modernising the pier and harbour infrastructure is calculated at another 
£156 million. Add another ten percent for inflation and it all adds up 
to over £433 million.
The Islands Council is presenting the bill with a hard hitting letter 
(see images below) highlighting the increasingly perilous and 
unacceptable state of the inter-island fleet. It asks how Scotland's 
smallest local authority can possibly borrow the money itself - it 
estimates the interest alone would cost the Council twenty eight and a 
half million every year for twenty five years.
The Scottish Government has consistently said it's the council's duty to 
fund ferry replacement while Transport Scotland provided thirteen 
million pounds towards the running costs for Orkney's internal ferries 
in the last year. The Deputy First Minister has a long list of financial 
demands to account for when he sets the Scottish budget in Holyrood 
later. If replacing Orkney's ferries is not one of them, the islands 
council says it will have no option but to press the Westminster 
government for the money.
No photo description available.
No photo description available.
No photo description available.
May be an image of text that says "3. revenue requirement service, with 
inflationary Scottish Government provide the full ferry replacement 
capital funding requirement the Council's LUF bidis successful,th 
Scottish Government funds reduced capital funding requirement £396 
12million, and The Scottish fund 2023/24 maintain thereafter, more 
cost-effective option limiting the levelling the RSM funding 
£1.396million annually develop ter-island transport system an acceptable 
addition ftwo Islander aircraft. Finally, write separate cover 2023/24 
budget allocation and pportunityt SINA adjustment mechanisn help create 
faimness negligible on the settlement Councils. Yours sincerely 
Councillo James Stockan Council Leader"
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