20th September 2024
Bus and ferry services. Housing, Wind turbines. Mental health.
The questions for the panel at Monday morning’s Q&A at Aith Junior High School provided a stimulating start to the week. The panel was made of the two Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs), Joe Smith and Bertie Summers, the Convener of Shetland Islands Council, Andrea Manson, and me.
The wide-ranging topics gave a flavour of what matters to young people on the Westside. Having heard their view that they are poorly served by the current bus provision, they were encouraged to participate in the public bus consultation that closed yesterday. The more views the consultants receive, the better informed the council should be when it comes to making decisions about the next bus contract.
Currently there is no public bus service to the Westside or North Isles on a Sunday and that prevents people from accessing external transport services, taking work that involves shifts or going to see a film at Mareel.
Another transport contract, the Northern Isles Ferries Service (NIFS) ends in June 2026 although there is an option to extend it for another two years. During my meeting with the Transport Secretary last week, I asked her about shared cabins and the ‘cliff-edge’ booking system which is currently only open until 31st December 2024. The Scottish Government is quite clear that it is the NIFS operator, Serco Northlink, that has taken the decision not to reinstate shared cabins after they were stopped during the pandemic.
It is unclear what analysis, if any, has been carried out by the Scottish Government regarding Serco Northlink’s decision not to reinstate shared cabins and the impact it has had on those for whom the service is a lifeline.
While the booking system is due to open “soon” the impact of continued delay is felt by island residents. It is not just about being unable to finalise bookings for the festive season, school holidays or arrangements for family and friends coming home for Up-Helly-A’, or even getting to the Island Games in Orkney next July. It is about ensuring the lifeline service meets islanders’ needs and this annual ‘cliff-edge’ approach fails that particular test.
The incidents in Lerwick’s town centre two weekends ago have, understandably, caused considerable concern in the wider community. I heard from people who live outside Lerwick, as well as those who live in and around the town centre and regularly experience anti-social behaviour on their doorsteps.
More needs to be done to tackle such behaviour, so it was good to see the joint proactive approach by the authorities and “detached” youth workers this past weekend.
We need to be careful not to infer that all young people are troublemakers. There are a handful of exceptions, but the vast majority of Shetland’s young people are thoughtful law-abiding citizens who care about those around them. I saw that in abundance at Aith on Monday.