Isles’ councils meet in Shetland 17/2/14
The Island Areas Ministerial
Working Group chaired by Local Government Minister Derek Mackay met in Lerwick on
Monday.
The meeting was attended by Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Environment and
Climate Change, Keith Brown, Minister for Transport, and Fergus Ewing, Minister for
Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, along with the leaders of the three island councils,
and the chief executives of Shetland and Western Isles Councils.
The agenda included
transport, agriculture, tourism, construction and digital services.
The group will
meet six times in total, and is working towards developing a prospectus outlining
opportunities for island communities in the context of the referendum.
This follows
the Lerwick Declaration made in Shetland last July by the First Minister, affirming
the Scottish Government’s commitment to the principle of local decision-
The next meeting of the group is scheduled for Stornoway in March, where
it is expected to consider creative industries and special status measures for the
islands.
Following the meeting, Local Government Minister Derek Mackay said: “We continue
our useful and constructive discussions with our island partners to explore a range
of issues that have been raised by the islands councils as we work towards an agreed
prospectus.
“This dialogue and the level of Ministerial commitment demonstrates how
seriously we consider the issues raised, befitting of the importance we attach to
the principles of subsidiarity and local decision-
“We have already committed
to bring forward a bill for an Islands Act upon independence to implement our proposals,
and I look forward to continuing our deliberations with the islands councils as we
move towards agreement.”
Shetland Islands Council Leader, Gary Robinson, said: “I
believe today’s Islands Areas Ministerial Working Group has been the most crucial
so far. Transport was on the agenda and that’s one of the most important issues for
the islands given that it impacts upon everything that we do including tourism, which
was also discussed today.
“Digital communications is hugely important in the isles
and high-
“Today we’ve put to Ministers what we
want in respect of these issues -