If you drive around Scotland you might be forgiven for thinking the country is well-connected – good roads lead you all over the mainland. Sometimes there is a queue or cancellation of a ferry but if you are on holiday it just gives more time to explore the harbour, take some pics and find some seafood to eat.
The phone signal will cut out, or not work properly and children in the back of the car may complain they can’t download a film or watch YouTube. No matter, the trip is about enjoying the scenery so look out of the window and admire the view, or step outside and go for a splodge in a burn.
Increasingly I think that, as well as staycationers from the Central Belt and beyond, that is also the viewpoint of decision makers in Edinburgh and London. But try living, working or running a business with these problems.
Despite years of hearing from the Scottish Government about millions of pounds of investment it appears ferry services are close to non-existent at times and the broadband network north of Perth is woeful.
A couple of weeks ago The Ferries Community Board said CalMac’s West Coast Ferries were so badly operated that there was a “threat to island life”. An ageing fleet regularly succumbs to breakdowns and therefore cancellations. There is also a lack of new ferries due to come into service and the ones that are due are still not built only adds to the chaos.
Angus Campbell, chairman of the board which puts forward islanders’ views on ferry services, said: “While we are well used to living with the effects of weather on our ferry services, and more recently Covid, the recent extent and duration of mechanical failures on multiple vessels has led to massive disruption across the network.
“Unfortunately this is unlikely to be a one-off with such an ageing fleet in our challenging environment. This represents a real threat to our islands’ ability to retain and attract people, ensure services are sufficiently reliable and at prices that permit viable communities and thereby avoid depopulation.”
Worryingly, he adds: “Without a fit for purpose ferry service, all efforts to sustain and grow population, encourage new business and provide equality of opportunity will be increasingly damaged – to the detriment of our islands and our country.”
Transport Scotland, part of the Scottish Government, said it recognised a “lack of confidence” in CalMac services. It is not a lack of confidence, it is a realisation that the services are no good. The Holyrood administration is also keen to point to £580m of investment in infrastructure. Governments do spend money but reason for that is to make the country’s infrastructure work better – in this case they are failing.
If the Scottish Government says there is investment in ferries but a farmer or fisherman on the islands cannot guarantee their perishable product will get to market on time because the service is so poor, that is not good enough after yeas and years of the issues being known about and acknowledged.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Government is failing on a pledge made in 2017 to deliver superfast fibre broadband to all homes by 2021, having delayed completion until 2026/27.
On Tiree, the community broadband provider, says a lack of fibre cable mean islanders are left with poor internet speeds. Tiree Community Broadband says “it is forced to juggle multiple domestic copper lines” to provide a service to their customers because Openreach refuses to provide Tiree Broadband with direct access to a fibre connection.
TCB’s chairperson, Rhoda Meek, told the Oban Times: “We are once again forced to try and upgrade our network to cover the lack of basic provision. Unfortunately, we have reached the end of the road with sticky tape and string solutions.
“The island exchange is about 20 metres away from our network access point, complete with a connecting duct, and yet we are unable to access a full fibre service. It is frustrating to say the least.”
Openreach said they “understand the frustrations” and were looking for a “viable answer”. Maybe lay a bit of fibre down and upgrade the equipment?
And if the Scottish Government are so keen to have superfast broadband for everyone – surely they could find the cash to lay the cable. It is hard to imagine a similar situation being allowed to continue for a long time in Edinburgh.
