Skye & Kyle Against
Tolls Newsletter
November 2002
Skye & Kyle Against
Tolls Established 1995
HIGHLAND COUNCIL &
NAPIER UNIVERSITY PROVE SKAT RIGHT
If proof were needed - and we
know the people of Skye didn't need proof of facts that they
already had - Highland Council's survey, carried out by Professor
Ronald McQuaid and Malcolm Greig at the Employment Research
Institute and Transport Research Institute, both of Napier
University, Edinburgh, shows that the island's economy is
suffering a deficit of up to £5 million a year because of the
high tolls on the Bridge.
Highland Council Director of
Planning and Development, John Rennilson, states that "The
Napier study provides sturdy evidence that the economy of Skye is
being significantly depressed as a direct consequence of the
Government’s apparent unwillingness to reconsider an unfair
toll regime".
The survey also shows that, if
tolls were reduced to £1 per crossing, 210 extra jobs would be
created on Skye. If tolls were equal to Erskine or Forth Road
Bridge, i.e. 60p-80p, an extra 234 jobs would be created - but
with the complete abolition of the tolls there would be an
increase of 256 new jobs.
The report reveals that
"overall Bridge traffic has increased by 8% since
opening" i.e. over 6 years, or about 1½% per year, with
"a slight reduction" in 2001 from the previous year.
Scottish Transport Statistics, published by the Scottish
Executive, on the other hand, show that the Erskine Bridge
increased by 6% in the same year. However, more relevantly,
vehicle traffic on other west coast ferry crossings increased by
even more in the same 6-year period, e.g. Ullapool-Stornaway went
up from 29,600 cars to 39,200 between 1995-2001. Even
Oban-Coll/Tiree rose from 7,300 to 10,000. These are increases of
about 50% compared to Skye's meagre 8% over the same period.
So what happened to the wonderful
benefits of increased visitor numbers that the Skye Road Bridge
was supposed to bring to the Island with its ease of access?
Well, we now have the evidence on
why visitor numbers to Skye are so low with this objective,
scientific report which proves what we always knew - that the
Skye Road Bridge Tolls are a deterrent to visitors and are bad
for the Skye economy.
Mr. Rennilson reports that any
"positive impacts" to the local economy from faster
access by the Bridge have been "considerably reduced"
as a result of the high tolls, the removal or reduction of which
would bring "increased tourism, increased business
efficiency and more business start ups."
This report from Highland Council
will be presented to Scottish First Minister, Jack McConnell,
and, in the light of such indisputable evidence, it is difficult
to see how he can allow this policy of inflicting economic
depression on Skye to continue.
Bearing in mind the present
Government's enthusiasm for PFI/PPPs to fund public service
projects, Mr. Rennilison also noted, "That the present
arrangements (on the Skye Bridge tolls) are so widely perceived
to represent bad value for money is a matter of real concern
which could tarnish the government’s commitment to PFI as a
key to achieving better public services" - in other words,
the Skye Bridge tolls, the very flagship of PFI policy, is giving
PFI a bad name !
Also noted in the report on the
survey was an assessment of the cost of buying out the tolls.
This was put at £23 million, plus any profit margin for Skye
Bridge Ltd., and corresponds to SKAT's own estimate of a buy-out
cost. Given that, when VAT is imposed, the tax-payers' bill for
subsidising this private enterprise venture will rise to approx.
£2 million a year - not to mention a 2-year back-payment of VAT
- SKAT'S argument in favour of buying out the concession and
returning the Skye Road Bridge to public operation becomes
irrefutable.
SKAT's own Gothic tale of
haunting terror and fear from the windswept mountains and shores
of the Misty Isle !!
The Lochalsh Monster
The story so far:-
The peasants of Skye had been continuing
their search for a way to get rid of the Monster who had been
gobbling up all their local economy but, it seemed, their case
was hopeless Farquhar the Brave's 'Freedom of Information' sword
had been terminally damaged against the armour of 'Commercial
Confidentiality'. The Wee Council of Clansmen, as instructed by
Tony the Smile, had refused even to look at the Monster (which
was hardly surprising given its extremely ugly economic
physique!) and the Wee Free Council's 'Open and Accessible' rules
could not be applied to Monsters. The future for the poor
peasants of Skye looked grim indeed !
Now read on:-
Things were getting worse for the poor people
of Skye as they scrimped and saved to feed the Monster's
ever-growing appetite. This left them with little for themselves
and many were angry because, at first, some of the Council
Clansmen on the Mound did not believe that the peasants were
suffering. Wee Wendy Wonderwoman (WWW), who was
Clansman-In-Charge of Almost Everything (including the Lochalsh
Monster), had exhausted her magical powers by trying to do the
work of 6 knights in one day and had retired defeated so several
knights were now doing her magic for her. Unfortunately, the one
who had been given the magic to control the Monster was a ghostly
figure that nobody had seen and his very existence was open to
doubt. He was known as Eamonn-Ince Greese.
The rest of the Clansmen were more interested
in other little Monsters who were suddenly popping up all over
the place and had multiplied 800 times since Tony the Smile had
won the magic power from the Wicked Witch. Other groups of
peasants very soon realised that these little Monsters they were
having to feed had ravenous appetites and could live for 30 years
and they, too, started to complain to the Clansmen. However, an
edict from Tony the Smile had been issued saying that these
little Monsters were providing services for the peasants and were
"good value for money" and that was that. Again, the
peasants and many of the Clansmen were in a state of puzzlement
for they realised that their own tame animals had done the same
things and only required a seventh of the food to keep them
going.
Then, one day, the elder peasants came up with
a bright idea which they hoped would convince everyone about the
sufferings of the peasants of Skye. So they packed their flasks
of tea and their sandwiches into their saddlebags and galloped
off in the direction of a great castle where sat clever men of
learning. Here, they explained their problem, that they had a
Monster which was gobbling up all their sustenance but nobody
believed them because, in politics, nobody believes anything that
anybody says very much. "However", they said, "if
some Really Brainy People like your good selves, and who are not
politicians, were to look at our Monster and how it is up eating
every benefit on Skye, the Clansmen would be bound to listen to
you".
The Really Brainy People agreed to find out
what the Lochalsh Monster was doing to the poor peasants. They
set about their calculations and abstractions and complicated
sums and were horrified at what they found. They promptly
announced that the peasants of Skye would be more prosperous if
the Clansmen gave the Monster a golden handshake and got rid of
him altogether. Failing that, the peasants would still be better
off if the Clansmen removed some of its economic claws and teeth.
"Indeed", said the Really Brainy People, "The
Lochalsh Monster is so bad and ugly he's giving all the other
little Monsters a bad name!". All the peasants on Skye were
jubilant, especially since this was what they had been saying all
along.
While all this was going on, other peasant
groups had been discussing their own local Monsters and had sent
word to each other by bush telegraph that they were not happy. In
fact, some of them were extremely brave and announced that they
would ban Monsters altogether from their villages. Other peasants
were amazed at such fearlessness because they knew Tony the Smile
would be very, very angry at this impudence and, as everyone
knew, Tony the Smile had the key to the box where all the money
was kept and the box was hidden deep in the dungeons of the
Palace of Wastemisters where peasants were never, ever allowed.
It seemed another war for control of the magic power was about to
break out.
Then, John 008 and
Andrew the Abacus thought up a clever way of doing without these
little Monsters by building giant food stores and feeding only
the peasants' own tame animals, thus starving Tony the Smile's
Monsters out of existence. If most the peasants agreed to this as
well as other plans of John 008, then the war would be won and
the magic power would pass yet again to different hands. The
Lochalsh Monster would have to pack his bags and seek temporary
accommodation in the Palace of Wastemisters. But would the
peasants have the courage to defy Tony the Smile and set their
own animals against the little Monsters ?
THE BRIDGE -
A FEW UNANSWERED
QUESTIONS
I recently spent a few hours on Eilean Ban, the
island which serves as a launch pad for the bridge on the Kyle
side. As I was taken with my family on a guided tour of the
island, I had my first opportunity to look at the underside of
the bridge. I was surprised to see the amount of pipework
suspended there. Some of the pipework is rusting visibly, which
surprised me in view of the relative youth of the bridge. This is
in contrast to the Stevenson lighthouse on the same island which
shows no signs of serious deterioration after more than 100
years. But of course, any metal close to the sea will rust unless
it is either stainless or regularly painted. This led me on to
ask myself about the yellow gantry being slowly winched along
under the bridge carrying a team of inspectors. Firstly, what is
the agreement with the owners of the bridge regarding the
frequency of inspection ( this is the first since the bridge
opened, as far as I know) ? Secondly, if a major defect comes to
light, who has to foot the bill for repairs?
Being on Eilean Ban raised in my mind another
issue. The books of Gavin Maxwell have a huge readership all over
the world and the island is the most accessible place to which
his readers can come to follow up their interest in the author
and his life. His house there is well preserved and full of
family mementos. I would like to know what they think about the
siting of the bridge, with its huge footprint dominating the
island.
Several people have sent me the article in the
Guardian by George Monbiot, dated 16 August 2002, based on
research by Robbie the Pict. It details the surprising number of
Law Lords who are members of the Speculative Society, which is
based in Edinburgh University and which began life as an offshoot
of a Masonic guild. Many of the cases which have come to court
concerning the tolls have been under the watchful eye of legal
members of the Speculative Society, and since the motto of the
society urges its Brethren "in unity to dwell" it is
hardly surprising that one Brother would be reluctant to overturn
the judgement passed by another. It comes as no surprise to learn
that Sir Iain Noble, former Chairman of the Skye Bridge Company,
and Colin McEachran, a leading figure in the Legal Aid Board from
1991 to 1998,are both members. We all recall the blanket refusal
to grant Legal Aid when our cases came to court. This begins to
look more and more like a conspiracy ( and I note with interest
the piracy contained within that word).
Dr Julian Toms,
Chairman
THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT
INVITES SKAT TO MEETING ON BUDGET PROPOSALS FOR 2003-04
SKAT was interested to receive an
invitation from the Finance Committee of the Scottish Parliament
to attend a meeting in Portree as part of the Committee's
scrutiny of the Scottish Executive's budget proposals for
2003-04. Readers may remember that, in the last SKAT NEWS, we
were amazed - and angry - to learn that the Skye Road Bridge
would not be included in the Finance Committee's Inquiry into
"value for money" of PPP/PFIs. The reason given for
this was that the Skye Bridge was "unique". The
exclusion applied despite much existing evidence supporting the
claim that the Skye Bridge PFI was very bad "value for
money".
At an earlier stage, SKAT had complained to the
Procedures Committee that inadequate notice of the F.C. inquiry
had been given. The Procedures Committee felt our comments were
relevant and are currently looking into this. Meantime, SKAT has
accepted the invitation from the F.C. and hopes to get the
opportunity to put forward our proposals for saving taxpayers'
money, i.e. by removing the tolls from the Bridge. We understand
the meeting will last only about an hour and eleven other groups
in the community will be represented. Not sure how effective we
can be in such a limited time but we will certainly try.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
PFI - WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE PROFITS
SKAT recently obtained a copy of the
accounts and returns for year 2001 of Skye Bridge Limited, the
Company which operates the Skye Bridge on behalf of Bank of
America. We are often told that private enterprise is so much
more efficient and cost effective than the public sector and we
were, therefore, surprised to see that the profit for that year
was £225,016 - less than a £¼ million. The reason for our
surprise is that we know, having followed this saga for some
time, that Caledonian MacBrayne who ran the Kyle-Kyleakin Ferry
(surely a much more expensive operation in terms of annual
running costs) actually made a profit of £1 million in 1994 - 8
years ago !. And we should bear in mind that, as part of the
concession agreement, SBL are allowed to charge the same as the
old Ferry fare with the same annual increases. Indeed, SBL's
returns are so poor that the Directors of SBL, in their Report on
the accounts, "do not recommend the payment of a dividend
and propose that the profit for the year be carried to
reserves". Pity the poor shareholders !!
POINT TO PONDER: If, in the
interests of reducing traffic congestion and air pollution, car
drivers will be deterred from entering the city of Edinburgh by a
£1 toll, how come the Government hasn't accepted that the same
drivers will be deterred from coming to Skye by a £11.40 toll ?
Perhaps Transport Minister, Iain Gray could explain.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
FUTURE SKAT MEETINGS Normally the
last Saturday of each month
If you would like to attend a SKAT meeting, pleaee contact one
of our Office bearers
GREETINGS FROM OUR
TREASURER
Well, I'm still the appointed
Treasurer so I must be doing SOMETHING right ! Since our last
Newsletter, your response has been encouraging and I was also
surprised and delighted to learn how far-reaching the support for
SKAT is ! There have been donations from local people here on
Skye, from Raasay area, the United States and - couldn't be much
further away - New Zealand. Thank you all. Some of our precious
funds are to be used to have extra copies of the Newsletter
printed for distribution through outlets on the Island. And don't
forget - we are always interested to hear your views on our
campaign or about PFI/PPPs in general, or perhaps your own story
about a PFI near you which isn't the wonderful answer to all the
problems it was claimed to be. Again, thank you for your
continued support.
Dorothy
* * * * * * * * * *
As always, running a campaign costs money and, while we no
longer have heavy legal costs, we still have to meet bills for
advertisements, stationery, postage, phone calls, attendances at
meetings. It all adds up. So if you would like to show your
support for out attempts to get the Government to remove the
tolls from the Skye Road Bridge and give the people of Skye a
fair deal, please use the tear-off slip below to send a
contribution. It will be gratefully received.
OVERSEAS MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE: If any of our
overseas members wish to send a contribution to SKAT, please send
this in the form of a Banker's cheque in sterling made out
to S.K.A.T. and please be sure to enter the account no.
00859102, Branch code 80-09-47 at Bank of Scotland. Please do
not send a personal cheque as the bank charges for this
transaction are very high and are often greater than the value of
the cheque itself.
Please return the slip to;-
Dorothy Pearce, SKAT TREASURER, 2 Rona
Place, Home Farm, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9TB
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I enclose a cheque no…………../postal order
no…………. …
as contribution to SKAT funds.
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PLEASE NOTE: SKAT, SKYE & KYLE AGAINST TOLLS, IS
THE ORIGINAL SKAT, CONTINUING TO FUNCTION ACCORDING TO ITS
ORIGINAL CONSTITUTION OF JAN. 1997 AND HAS NO CONNECTION WITH ANY
OTHER GROUP OF SIMILAR NAME
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Copyright © Ray Shields, 2002.
Most recent revision, 05 January 2003