Venue: By Microsoft Teams
Contact: Lynsey Innis, Senior Committee Assistant Tel: 01546 604338
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The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, and in particular to the representatives from the Scottish Government Islands Team, who were in attendance to provide an update at item 4 of this Minute (National Islands Plan Review – Feedback by Communities). The Chair ruled, and the Sounding Board agreed, that the business dealt with at item 7 of this Minute (Islands Connectivity Plan Consultation), be dealt with as a matter of urgency by reason that the deadline for responses was due before the next meeting of the Argyll Islands Sounding Board. . |
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Apologies Minutes: There were no apologies for absence intimated. |
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Declarations of Interest Minutes: There were no declarations of interest intimated. |
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Minutes Minute of the previous meeting of the Argyll Islands Sounding Board, held on 19 October 2024 Minutes: The Minute of the previous meeting of the Argyll Islands Sounding Board, held on 19 October 2023, was approved as a correct record. |
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National Islands Plan Review - Feedback by Communities Verbal Update by Scottish Government Islands Team Minutes: Having
noted that a requirement of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 was to review the
National Islands Plan within five years of publication, the Board gave consideration
to a short verbal update from the Scottish Government’s Islands Team on the
feedback received from island communities in relation to the recent National
Islands Plan review. Mr
Bertoldi advised that as part of the review process a consultation exercise
must be carried out offering everyone with an interest in Scotland’s islands an
opportunity to provide their views on the impact and content of the current
National Islands Plan. He advised that
the consultation had been carried out between July and November 2023 both
online and through a number of island events.
He advised that the consultation had been open to the general public as
well as being specifically targeted to island communities, organisations and
third party stakeholders. Mr
Bertoldi provided statistical information on the results of the consultation
and outlined a number of areas where improvement was required. These included the need to improve
communication around the National Islands Plan and to consider reducing the
number of strategic objectives and commitments contained within the current
Plan to better prioritise matters of importance such as housing, transport,
depopulation and fuel poverty. He also
advised that while it was clear that there was a need to consider a more
localised approach, there was an acknowledgement that barriers such as capacity
made this a difficult task. Mr Bertoldi
advised that while a decision was still to be taken in relation to the next
steps, there was a commitment given to ensure that local authorities would be
involved in the process going forward. Discussion
was had around the perceived failures of the current National Islands Plan; the
need for greater emphasis to be placed on the blue economy; the missed
opportunities for island connectivity through the Strategic Transport Project
Review 2 (STPR2) process; the need to consider how commitments match
deliverable strategic objectives while managing expectations and the need for
robust and honest engagement with island communities. Decision The
Argyll Islands Sounding Board noted the information provided and thanked the
Scottish Government Island’s Team for their attendance.
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CLYDE AND HEBRIDES FERRY SERVICE CONTRACT - CONSULTATION TRANSPORT SCOTLAND Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth Minutes: The Board gave consideration to a
report which provided an update on the proposals by Scottish Ministers on the
award of a third Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service Contract and outlined the
live consultation and draft response on this process . Discussion was had in relation to
capacity, with Members expressing concern that unutilised block bookings for
commercial vehicles result in empty spaces on car decks; the reference to “in
season” referring to the summer months not being a true reflection of islands
such as Islay; the misconception that the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) makes
all fares cheaper; the need to have spaces on sailings which are for island
residents only and the need to look at viable fixed link options that could be
run by the Ferry Service until such time as Transport Scotland have their fixed
links up and running. Further discussion was had around
whether there was an opportunity for the Scottish Government to include Council
services in the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service Contract. Decision The Argyll Islands Sounding Board:- 1. noted Transport Scotland’s document on Public Consultation for the next Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service Contract (CHFS3) enclosed within Appendix 1 to the report; and 2. considered and approved the response to the CHFS3 consultation, contained within Appendix 2 to the report, subject to the inclusion of comments, as outlined above. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, dated 19 February 2024, submitted) |
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Any Other Competent Business Minutes: The
Chair advised of discussions at the last meeting of the Board on possible
future agenda items and advised that unfortunately SSEN had not been in a
position to attend this meeting to provide information on the Whole System
energy options for the Inner Hebrides and Orkney Islands. She advised that they had indicated that they
would be happy to attend a future meeting to provide this information and
outlined a number of possible future meeting dates. Discussion
was had in relation to a number of exciting opportunities being brought to the
area by SSEN. Decision The
Argyll Islands Sounding Board:- 1.
requested
that a Members Seminar be arranged to inform all Members of the upcoming
opportunities from SSEN; and 2.
agreed
that a date for the next meeting of the Argyll Islands Sounding Board would be
notified to Members in due course. |
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Islands Connectivity Plan Consultation Joint response provided by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services and Development and Economic Growth Minutes: The Board gave consideration to a
draft response which provided areas for possible discussion in relation to the
Scottish Government’s Consultation on the Islands Connectivity Plan. Discussion was had around the provision
of air services and the proposals to mirror the free bus travel for persons
aged 22 years and under on ferry services.
The Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services advised that the intention
was to bring the draft response to the Council meeting in April 2024 and asked Members
to provide any further feedback directly to himself, the Head of Development
and Economic Growth and the Strategic Transportation and Infrastructure Manager
for inclusion in this response. Decision The Argyll Islands Sounding Board
considered the draft response to the Islands Connectivity Plan Consultation. (Reference: Joint Response by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services and Development and Economic Growth, submitted) |