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<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;"><i>From BBC Radio Orkney:</i>
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<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;">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. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;">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. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;">The cost <span style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: inherit;"><a tabindex="-1" style="color: rgb(56, 88, 152); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: inherit;"></a></span>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. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;">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. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;">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.</div>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;"><img src="https://scontent.fltn2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/319357888_511349384120638_3508674106696012558_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=fuLlbjpr06MAX9snCHj&_nc_ht=scontent.fltn2-1.fna&oh=00_AfBxcdHVUPNKT-rQ3UYjUrVHzHf8ITT2j14HrDlzUoMs8w&oe=639F4235" alt="No photo description available."></div>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;"><img src="https://scontent.fltn2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/318991197_967857787519628_5792424403221373860_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=PpuGyHT8vJAAX_hw3Ui&tn=vYmoqpxlxbr2I41f&_nc_ht=scontent.fltn2-1.fna&oh=00_AfBJEEfaVGU-iEIDk_7RU5JvDMa5LdNtpF24D5RRivpH_g&oe=639F4735" alt="No photo description available."></div>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;"><img src="https://scontent.fltn2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/318832964_3556801147939573_3783294677237782196_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=n4fWcaZjKWMAX_CoF5q&_nc_ht=scontent.fltn2-1.fna&oh=00_AfBsiYeSQtiWV_3OtqHvjn5JmhpZgJxMYLbnxvGnyVVIFg&oe=639E3107" alt="No photo description available."></div>
<div dir="auto" style="animation-name: none !important; transition-property: none !important; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; text-align: start;"><img src="https://scontent.fltn2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/319083184_666601925007435_3806306090614558437_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg&_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=jDnL0ZVZI9gAX_ErIb1&_nc_ht=scontent.fltn2-1.fna&oh=00_AfC0PZHIYvEZGPKypvy7qWDjXaAkW7EEtF-hqLqs9mLiSw&oe=639FB918" alt="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""></div>
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