The Western Isles Labour Party has slammed the Scottish Government’s intention to abolish the board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
Deputy first minister, John Swinney, said a single “overarching board will replace individual agency boards” for HIE, Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council.
A spokesman for the Western Isles Labour Party said: “The news that the SNP government are centralising yet another team away from the Highlands and Islands is dismal in itself, but the SNP do not seem to worry – their policy makers are too remote from us to care.
Labour criticises move to disband HIE board
28 November 2016
“Removing the top committee of Highlands and Islands Enterprise or its board has been under consideration by SNP chiefs for over 5 years and the amount of control available locally has been reduced even more than its budget has been in that time.
Making the announcement a day before a Scottish Parliament debate about “Our Islands Our Future” shows how “little the SNP care about democracy and local accountability in the islands.”
HIE staff will now report to a committee based in the Central Belt whose knowledge of the Highlands and Islands “cannot be any better than a board based in the north.
“This is not a cost savings exercise but about centralising control which is a regular theme in the SNP,” said the local Labour party.
“This comes after the “summer of crofting discontent” about the mess that the Crofting Commission has been allowed to get into with an SNP appointed chair causing havoc.”
Matt Bruce, chair of the Western Isles Labour Party said: “I wonder when Alasdair Allan our local SNP minister will tell us how he fought to keep the HIE board of management and show his support for devolving more powers to the islands
“His election campaign was called “working for you.” That looks highly questionable given this news.”