McArthur welcomes Islands Bond ditching

Responding to the announcement that the Scottish Government's Islands Bond proposals are set to be dropped, Orkney's MSP Liam McArthur said:

"The Islands Bond was always an election gimmick. Rather than tackling the root causes of depopulation, it risked opening up divisions within our island communities.

"This ill-conceived idea was not the brainchild of Mairi Gougeon, but thankfully the Islands Minister has had the good sense to listen to the overwhelming feedback from islanders and drop the proposals.

"I have repeatedly argued that there are far better ways to build the resilience of our island communities, through investing in transport links, broadband and affordable housing. Indeed, I have previously proposed using some of the Island Bond funding to support the introduction of a third aircraft on Orkney's internal routes which would benefit a number of different islands.

"Mairi Gougeon deserves credit for ditching the unworkable Island Bond plan and I look forward to working the Minister on more realistic proposals that can deliver the objectives of supporting and sustaining our island communities."