Press Release
29th October 2013
Leaders and Minister hold joint discussions on Islands campaign
JOINT PRESS RELEASE FROM COMHAIRLE nan EILEAN SIAR, SHETLAND ISLANDS COUNCIL AND ORKNEY ISLANDS COUNCIL
The Leaders of Scotland’s three Islands Councils held talks with the Scottish Government today (Tuesday October 29) on issues of key importance to the communities they serve.
The second meeting of the Island Areas Ministerial Working Group – set up in response to the Our Islands Our Future campaign – discussed marine planning, energy and measures to “island proof” Government policy and legislation.
In all, the Group will meet six times and develop a prospectus outlining opportunities for island communities before and after the referendum in 2014.
Today’s meeting in Glasgow brought together Derek Mackay, Minister for Local Government and Planning, and the leaders of the Councils in Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles, Councillors Gary Robinson, Steven Heddle and Angus Campbell.
Paul Wheelhouse, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, also took part, as did the Chief Executives of the three Councils, Mark Boden, Alistair Buchan and Malcolm Burr.
Speaking on behalf of the three local authorities, Councillor Steven Heddle said: “The second meeting of the Island Areas Ministerial Working Group covered issues that are vital to our futures - island proofing, energy, and marine planning.
“Island proofing seeks that consideration of the islands position takes place at all stages of policy formulation to ensure that we are not disadvantaged. We'd like to see this treated seriously as an equality issue, and also believe that if we have more powers devolved to the islands and better representation in Europe then island proofing will happen as a matter of course.
“The energy sector is key to all our futures, and through our energy and marine planning discussions with Government we want to ensure that developments in our islands happen in the way that we want and is to our benefit.
“Having made our cases we are confident of progress, as island proofing chimes with the Lerwick Declaration, and local control in marine planning and devolution of the functions and revenues of the Crown Estate are policy positions of the Scottish Government.
“We now need to add this towards a larger proposition from the Government, taking account of all the meetings of this group, to take back to our Islands.”
The next group meeting is due to take place in Edinburgh next month.
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