Scottish Government ignoring island poverty 26/6/14

Sir,

According to the SNP, Scotland is the 14th richest country in the world. Why then are ten per cent of children in the Outer Hebrides living in poverty? Why is it that fuel poverty in these islands ( ie more than 10% of household income spent on fuel ) has grown from 60% to 70% over the past five years? Why has a new category of extreme fuel poverty been created to cover those in the islands spending over 30% of their income on fuel? In that last category there are 1300 households.

It is a scandal that the Scottish Government has not woken up to the very serious problems related to poverty and fuel poverty in the Outer Hebrides. It is disgraceful that virtually nothing has been done to redress this blight on our island society.

There is a need to target those families where children are in poverty. Children in poverty are more susceptible to illness, do less well in school and are most likely to live in poverty as adults. Tackling this problem as soon as it arises, removes future problems - it future-proofs society and everyone benefits.

There is also a great need to identify the elderly in our villages who live in hard- to heat- houses and have low incomes. Resolving their problems means they can stay in good health in warm homes and they do not go into hospital. Again society as a whole wins.

The Comhairle, with the Community Planning Partnership, is evolving strategies to help tackle these problems but without Scottish Government help it is struggling.

Now, by way of exacerbating the problem, the Scottish Government is to manage, from Edinburgh, the £154million designated by Europe for the Highlands and Islands! Clearly the rural areas of Scotland are incapable of dealing with their own affairs. Will any of that money come to the Outer Hebrides? Or will it disappear just as over 50% of HIE money did when the SNP came in to office? There is a significant amount of the HIEP monies that is designated for social inclusion. Will any of these monies ever come to the Outer Hebrides?

Is this what is meant when the First Minister talks of ‘Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities’? Even before the ink is dry on the ‘manifesto for the islands’, the islands are stabbed in the back. Is this island-proofing? It is clear that the outcome of Our Islands, Our Future, into which the leaders of our islands put so much effort, is empty promises.

Perhaps if the Scottish Government paid more attention to governing the country and less to permanent electioneering in an attempt to separate Scotland from its neighbours, some of the ills that afflict our islands might be resolved. Clearly ‘the 14th richest country in the world’ should not have the kind of poverty figures currently present in the Outer Hebrides.

Angus McCormack

25 North Street

Sandwick

Isle of Lewis

Letters @hebrides.biz

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