[Scottish Parliament, 18.06.2024] During a tour of Ardnamurchan on Friday, Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston met with residents and business owners to discuss the ongoing problems with the Corran Ferry service.
Residents told the Scottish Conservative MSP that they felt forgotten by both Highland Council and by the Scottish Government, with a real sense of anger at what they saw as a lack of action on the Corran Narrows service and a lack of confidence that a solution will be delivered soon.
Speaking after the visit, Mr Halcro Johnston said:
“As I did last year, I visited local businesses and spoke with owners and residents about how uncertainty over the Corran Narrows service was affecting them.
“Those I met were angry that, after the severe disruption of last year, little appears to have been done to take forward even a short-term solution, and they felt their concerns were being ignored by both the Highland Council in Inverness and by Scottish ministers in Edinburgh.
“While the level of disruption has not been the same as last year, the confidence of local communities has clearly been shaken by what they experienced in 2023 when they lost both boats, and with what they perceive as a lack of action from councillors and ministers in putting forward a deliverable solution.
“Some were quite clear – they will sell up and leave the peninsula when they can because of the ongoing uncertainty over the Corran Narrows crossing and the impact the disruption is having on their lives and livelihoods.
“Residents and businesses on Ardnamurchan deserve better than the unreliable service they have got over the last few years and the impact that has had. They need to see action, not just more talk from Inverness and Edinburgh”.
ENDS
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