Rocket Range lobbying

Rocket Range lobbying 23/7/10

The Hebrides Range Taskforce has made the case to retain the missile base to new Coalition Government.

Though QinetiQ has upgrade proposals for the range, feared cuts in UK military spending is causing uncertainty.

A delegation from the islands have been lobbying MPs in Westminster this week. They pressed their case with coalition ministers.

The main thrust is that the Uist range has an important role to play in the UK’s military strategy. But the opportunity to widen it out to the private sector for aeronautical research and testing would bring in extra commercial income said the taskforce.

The taskforce was established after renewed attempts by the last Labour government to run down the base which would have meant savage job cuts across Uist and Benbecula.

The fight to retain jobs and save the local economy belatedly got underway last summer - some two years after the downgrading proposals were circulated.

Last year there was a robust insistence from the UK defence minister in 2009 that the base would be run down.

But the council launched the task force backed by the community which resulted in an U-turn from the previous UK Government in Autumn - thought to be linked to the then looming General Election.