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Scottish government confirms RET will be rolled out to both Bute ferry services

11 Jan

TRANSPORT Scotland has confirmed the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) scheme will be rolled out to both Bute ferry services after concerns were raised that the Rothesay-Wemyss Bay route would not be included.

The SNP pledged in their 2011 manifesto to roll out RET after a pilot of the scheme in the Western Isles and gave the plans the go ahead on November 29 last year.

However, when Bute wasn’t named specifically in the Scottish government’s plans, Argyll & Bute MP Alan Reid claimed the SNP had no intention of rolling the scheme out to Bute, saying: “There is no commitment to bring RET to Bute.

“All RET schemes have started at the beginning of the winter timetable in October. Arran starts October 2014. There is only one more October before the end of the parliament. Why did the Scottish government not say that RET would come to Bute in October 2015?

“If a Government gives a date for the implementation of a specific commitment, you can generally believe them. This is not the case here. We still have to fight for this.”

ButeBites contacted the Scottish government for clarification on whether RET would come to the island. Transport Scotland’s Colin Grieve said: “You may be aware that the SNP’s 2011 manifesto contained a commitment to “continue the
Road Equivalent Tariff on the current routes, and look to roll out to the Argyll and Clyde islands in light of the Western Isles pilot”.

“I can confirm that these plans include the introduction of RET on ferry services to Bute (Wemyss Bay-Rothesay and Colintraive-Rhubodach) within the lifetime of this parliament.

“In addition you may be interested to know that contained within the Scottish Ferry Service Draft
Plan recently published for consultation is a proposal to enhance the Colintraive-Rhubodach
service, running the service through to midnight, thereby extending the operating day.

“The intention would be to include this proposal as part of the next tender for Clyde and Hebridean
Ferry Services in 2013. The Draft Ferries Plan is out for consultation until 30 March 2012, and
we would welcome your views on it.”

You can see the Draft Ferries Plan Here

Angela Haggerty

Bute battles through the storm – exclusive pictures

9 Dec

The damage behind a block of flats in Port Bannatyne - the tree narrowly missed a resident who was in the shed pictured (Photo courtesy of Nicola Jones)

BUTE was battered by storm force winds on Thursday.

Schools closed across Argyll & Bute as winds reached over 80mph. Rothesay Academy closed on Thursday morning while the island’s primary schools attempted to remain open until lunchtime. Many shops and businesses also closed early as police warned the public not to travel.

The remains of a caravan on Bute (Picture courtesy of Maxine McMillan)

The island’s Calmac ferry services were severely affected with cancellation of the Rothesay-Wemyss Bay service early on Thursday morning while the Rhubodach-Colintraive ferry struggled through into the afternoon to carry passengers to the mainland. By Thursday night, all Calmac services were cancelled.

Power cuts were a significant problem for the region, with loss of electricity at various periods throughout the day. Rothesay Victoria Hospital had a generator on stand-by to cope with the disruption. As many as 70,000 homes throughout Scotland were still without power on Friday morning.

A fallen tree on Bush Road, Roslin Crescent (Picture courtesy of Melanie Jack)

Island councillor, Robert Macintyre, said: “As I live five miles from Rothesay and have 180 cattle to attend seven days a week I did not make it into Rothesay apart from getting the daily papers, at that time Rothesay had no electricity so all the shops apart from Toffelettis and the bakers in Montague Street were shut.  

“We are in the electronic age, barcodes etc, but when there is no power they are all snookered.   But folk on Bute are resilient and seem to cope quite well,” he added.

Train and bus services used by Bute residents were also disrupted. McGill’s buses cancelled many of its Inverclyde services and the Wemyss Bay-Glasgow Central train service was suspended into Friday morning.

Island councillor Isobel Strong said: “The binmen had a problem with bins being blown over after they were emptied. I really don’t know how it was down town later on as I was too scared to go out. There was debris being blown about and I cancelled a meeting which everyone agreed was a wise decision. Several power cuts meant that fridges, freezers and heating went off.

“First of all I was disappointed that Argyll & Bute Council did not take the advice from the Scottish Government and close all schools.”

Port Bannatyne's popular Christmas decorations were damaged in the storm

Severe gales swept across western, southern and central Scotland in the hurricane-force storm, with a wind gust of 165mph measured in the Cairngorms – just 8mph lower than the record, set in 1986.

By Angela Haggerty

Argyll and Bute prepares after Met Office weather warning

7 Dec

RESIDENTS across Argyll & Bute are bracing themselves for extreme weather after a warning from the Met Office.

A red alert was issued on Wednesday morning for gale-force winds expected on Thursday. Winds could reach 80mph across western, central and southern Scotland.

Scottish Transport minister Keith Brown said: “Tomorrow looks set to be a major challenge for our transport system, commuters and the public.

 ”According to the Met Office the worst period will be from 3-6pm and they are confident that wind speeds will exceed 75mph. They have issued a red alert, which suggest speeds could even exceed 90mph.

“We are all working hard to keep Scotland moving and I urge everyone to allow extra time for travel, avoid unnecessary risks and keep checking websites and local radio for real-time information.”

Transport Scotland urged travellers to pay close attention to police warnings after the Met Office issued red alerts for Central, Tayside, Fife, Strathclyde, south-west Scotland and Lothian and Borders.

The worst of the weather is expected to coincide with the evening rush hour and structural damage is a possibility.

Calmac’s Rothesay-Wemyss Bay ferry service was raised to amber alert on Wednesday night in anticipation of the deteriorating weather conditions on Thursday, while the Rhubodach-Colintraive service remained on amber alert after being placed on it earlier in the day.

By Angela Haggerty

Bute Forest to celebrate the cutting of the first tree at Rhubodach Forest

6 Dec

Community-owned Rhubodach Forest

BUTE Forest is inviting members of the community to celebrate the cutting of the first tree this Sunday, December 11.

Mulled wine and baked potatoes will be on offer to keep everyone warm at the event although everybody is advised to wrap up well to keep the brunt of winter at bay. The celebration will begin at 1pm and finish at 4pm and Bute Forest Support Group member Hanne Mason told ButeBites anybody who plans to stay until the end should try to bring a torch to keep vision clear as the night draws in.

“It’s our community woodland – come and see for yourself the very beginnings of work there and learn more on the day,” said Hanne, who also hopes transport can be provided. “We hope that the Community Links bus will be repaired and available at Guildford Square at 1.15pm but unfortunately cannot guarantee at this point,” he continued.

“[people can] Park at Rhubodach Cottage on the waterside as that is safer, or further on at the ferry lay-by. A steward will be at the cottage guiding everyone up to the event site just 800m up the track, where you can enjoy some warming mulled wine, baked potato and other goodies plus make a memento from the first tree cut to take home with you, plus more ideas of what you can make from things you find in the woods. And perhaps plant a small Christmas tree.” Hanne added.

Taking part in the occasion will be new forest project manager Emma Cooper, who has just taken up her post with Bute Forest, giving members of the community an opportunity to meet the woman who hopes to take forward the vision for Rhubodach Forest.

By Angela Haggerty

Bute prepares for day of strike action as council announces affected services

29 Nov

RESIDENTS on Bute are preparing for a day of public sector strike action after Argyll & Bute Council released details of the range of services that will be affected on the island.

All four schools on Bute will be closed on Wednesday 30 November as up to two million public sector workers go on strike over government pension proposals.

Calmac services between Rothesay-Wemyss Bay are not expected to be affected by strike action but remain on a weather-related amber alert. Passengers can keep up-to-date by visiting the Calmac website.

Rothesay Library will be closed while Rothesay Leisure Pool remains open and many social work services will be operating with reduced staff numbers. Learning disability and older day services will be unavailable for the day although adult and child protection services will be operating.

Routine road maintenance and street cleaning services will not be carried out and the council advises it is unlikely bins will be collected. Residents who usually have their bins emptied on a Wednesday can expect collection on the next scheduled date.

Schools, airports, hospitals, courts and libraries are preparing for a day of disruption across the UK as the government and unions fail to reach agreement on public sector pension plans.

Rachel Perry, a Bute resident and mother of a young child, is supporting tomorrow’s strikers and told ButeBites: “I am supporting them because they are some of the most valuable workers this country has and they are being treated like dirt by their own government. They deserve better than this.

“The strikes themselves may not actually affect myself as Eilidh, my daughter, is not at school and I do not work for any public sector but if it was for more than one day I would certainly be affected, but I would still support them.”

Greig Aird, a 17-year-old student from Bute studying Business Studies at the University of the West of Scotland, said: “I support the cause of the public service workers, however I feel that the way they are protesting is inappropriate.

“The strikes won’t affect the big politicians, it will affect ordinary people like you and me. I am losing a day of university because of the strikes. Parents will have to take a day off work or pay for childcare. In these times that isn’t good, a lot of work will stop, which isn’t good for the economy and also the extra money coming out of working class people in the run up to Christmas won’t be good news for retail sales.”

Argyll & Bute Council leader Councillor Dick Walsh said: “Our priority has been to ensure that our essential services are protected, and to minimise the strike’s impact on our communities.

“We will of course be keeping a close eye on the situation as the extent of the action becomes clear, and will keep the public informed, via the council website, regarding any changes to the information we currently have regarding those services likely to be affected.”

By Angela Haggerty

Bute passengers struggle through torrential rain and gale-force winds – Pictures

29 Nov

Severe flooding in Inverclye

ISLE of Bute passengers have been struggling to battle fierce weather and travel conditions after heavy wind and rain disrupted ferry travel and mainland services were hit by floods.

Calmac ferry services across the Clyde and Hebrides and far north of Scotland suffered week-long disruption after Scotland was battered by heavy winds.

Inverclyde roads looking more suitable for boats than cars

Rail services between WemyssBay, Gourock and Glasgow Central were suspended on Tuesday afternoon because of flooding, while Largs services terminated at Ardrossan. Scotrail advised services between Wemyss Bay and Glasgow Central were unlikely to resume on Tuesday because of heavy flooding between Branchton and Drumfrochar. Scotrail said replacement bus services were operating where possible.

The floods have caused massive disruption across Scotland

Inverclyde was severely affected by flooding overnight, leaving roads blocked on Tuesday morning and causing massive tailbacks. The A8 westbound route into Inverclyde was closed after traffic came to a standstill and floodwater caused problems on the A78. Schools in Inverclyde were also affected, with four of the area’s secondary schools closing on Tuesday.

Areas stretching across central, west and southern Scotland were hit by floods, with 42mm (1.65in) of rain falling overnight in Glasgow. The Glasgow Subway was closed on Tuesday morning in both directions but partially re-opened on Tuesday afternoon. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued flood alerts and warnings across Scotland, including a flood alert for Argyll & Bute.

There was very heavy rainfall overnight

Nine Calmac ferry services were on amber alert on Tuesday and liable to disruption, delay and cancellation at short notice because of a forecast for strong winds. The Rothesay-Wemyss Bay service has suffered severe disruption after continuing high winds affected much of Scotland over the last week, with some sailings cancelled and many diverted to Gourock.

Severe flooding in Inverclyde

Pedestrians battle through the weather

The Met Office has issued weather warnings for later in the week, forecasting gales of up to 70mph on Wednesday night and potential storm force winds reaching 80mph in northern Scotland on Thursday.

By Angela Haggerty

Visit www.scotrail.co.uk/disruption for further details on train services

Visit www.calmac.co.uk for ferry service updates

Family left furious after Calmac ferry leaves island without seriously ill patient – but with family on board

28 Nov

THE family of a sick 78-year-old woman were left stunned on Saturday after a Calmac sailing left the Isle of Bute in poor weather conditions with the family on board the vessel, but without the patient.

Violet Leitch suffered a fractured hip and after doctors decided she was too fragile to be lifted by helicopter to a mainland hospital for emergency surgery, she was rushed by ambulance to the 1500 sailing from Rothesay to Wemyss Bay.

However, upon arriving at the pier, the family of the woman claim Calmac staff refused to wait for the patient to be transferred onto the ferry.

The woman’s granddaughter, Alix Anderson, told ButeBites: “The paramedics and shore staff were wildly gesticulating to the onboard crew members who were just pulling in the ropes and shrugging their shoulders.

“I know onboard staff were aware of the ambulance before the ferry was properly underway. We phoned the Rothesay [Calmac] office at 3.04pm to ask why I had just had a frantic phone call from my mum, crying that they were leaving gran behind.

“Their response was that there was nothing they could do as they hadn’t been informed by the hospital but surely everyone could use common sense and if they saw paramedics jumping and waving at them it is probably better to radio the captain to bring the ramp down.”

Calmac Upper Clyde regional manager, Brian Fulton, claimed a miscommunication between the ambulance service and Calmac was at fault: “I have spoken to the captain of MV Bute who tells me that he was unaware of the ambulance until 10 minutes into the crossing. It appears that the ambulance service did not follow correct procedure.

“The ambulance staff asked if the 1500 sailing would be sailing on time given the weather. That was all. They did not say they were definitely travelling on it or that there was an emergency.

“As far as I am aware nobody asked the ferry to wait prior to sailing time.”

However, Mrs Anderson said: “As far as we know the hospital thought they had contacted them, the paramedics had radioed ahead and crew members were fully aware there was an ambulance on the pier before the ferry had left, so to say the hospital was at fault for not properly following procedure is a cop-out.

“This was about someone’s life, not something as inane as a parking ticket. It seems to me that some people used some really poor judgement and are trying to hide behind procedure.”

Recent high winds and poor weather conditions have left Calmac sailings on the Rothesay-Wemyss Bay route liable to disruption, delay and cancellation. Sailings on a Saturday afternoon are now on an hourly schedule and Calmac had issued amber alerts on the route for Saturday 26 November.

“I’m pretty upset and angry about this and I think the family would really like an apology and some answers because of the distress caused,” Mrs Anderson continued. “I think it best that Calmac have a look at this with the hospital as there seems to be some holes in their procedure and it would benefit everyone if they review it so this doesn’t happen again.”

Brian Fulton said the matter would be investigated and lessons would be learned: “I am reviewing procedures in discussion with the hospital and ambulance service to make sure this never happens again. If somebody had phoned to tell us to hold the ferry due to an emergency prior to sailing we would have confirmed this with the hospital and waited.

“In an emergency situation we will always wait but we need to be told. Anything that should have been done better on our part will be taken into account and put in practice for the future.”

By Angela Haggerty

Argyll and Bute Council defends £1.9m loan to Fyne Homes after local criticism

26 Nov

ARGYLL & Bute Councillor Len Scoullar has defended the local authority’s decision to approve a £1.9m loan to Fyne Homes after the social housing landlord’s failure to sell 24 newly-built flats on the Isle of Bute.

The social housing landlord has sold only one of 25 flats in the Old Courthouse development in central Rothesay. The complex – a redevelopment of the town’s former Sheriff Court building, which has retained some of its original features – took over two years to construct and the flats were originally marketed under the Scottish government’s Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) scheme to enable young first-time buyers to climb on to the property ladder.

However, since the completion of the building in March 2011, Fyne Homes subsidiary Fyne Initiatives, which is marketing the one, two and three-bedroom flats, has struggled to attract buyers on the island and the housing association has widened its target market to older residents who may already be home-owners, and prospective first-time buyers not yet resident on Bute.

The Old Courthouse project was funded by grants from Argyll & Bute Council and the Scottish government, as well as private funding amounting to a £1.9m loan to be repaid after the end of the loan period on March 31 2012. Fyne Homes expected to repay the loan from the proceeds of the sale of the properties but after the difficulty it encountered in selling the flats the company applied to Argyll & Bute Council’s Strategic Housing Fund for a bridging loan of £1.9m – sparking criticism from local residents on Facebook page, HaveYourSay On Bute.

Users of the page expressed concern that Fyne Homes’ inability to repay the original loan meant it would be equally unable to repay Argyll & Bute Council, while others were unhappy that the council could allocate a loan of £1.9m to another organisation when council services were under so much pressure from budget cuts.

In response to concerns that the money could have been assigned to other needs on Bute, Argyll & Bute Councillor Len Scoullar told ButeBites: “The answer is simple in that the council, as the Strategic Housing Fund name implies, must use the monies for housing. This money comes from the council tax raised on second homes in Argyll & Bute and is strictly controlled by government in its use and is not allowed to be used for any other purposes which are not approved by government.

“I also can say that Fyne Homes’ financial position is in fact very sound, I have seen their balance sheet and they will be more than able to repay the loan.”

The loan from the council will run from March 31 2012 for a three-year period but may be repaid earlier if the remaining 24 properties are sold before the loan period expires.

“I must emphasise that the money is not being used to “market” anything but is in fact only a replacement of the bank loan and will run with interest for the three years,” Cllr Scoullar continued.

“I am delighted that the council loaned Fyne Homes the funding from the Strategic Housing Fund – a decision that I was very much involved in. This was as a result of me being the person who persuaded Fyne Homes to take the building in the first place and not leave it as an eyesore, slowly getting worse in one of our very prominent spots next to the castle which would have cost the council a fortune to deal with.

“All in all I think it is a good use of the money, always remembering that Fyne Homes took the liability from the council who would have had a six or seven figure sum of money to find from local funding just to make the building safe three years ago.”

By Angela Haggerty

Nicola Jones announced as Argyll and Bute’s voluntary arts ambassador

22 Nov

New voluntary arts ambassador for Argyll & Bute, Nicola Jones

BUTE resident Nicola Jones has been announced Argyll & Bute’s new voluntary arts ambassador by Voluntary Arts Scotland.

VAScotland aims to promote personal development, social regeneration, community cohesion and fun by supporting the voluntary arts sector. The organisation offers training, advice and representation for Scotland’s arts and crafts groups.

The voluntary arts ambassador’s role is to work with arts and crafts groups at a local level and be their collective voice in community planning.

“The voluntary arts ambassador scheme aims to recruit a volunteer in each Scottish local authority,” Jones said. “Those volunteers will then work with local people, local authority arts officers, voluntary sector agencies and community planning partnerships to help promote amateur arts activity in their area.”

“With so many layers of bureaucracy lying between ordinary people and the decision makers, we all need somebody to speak up for us. Now those participating in the arts and crafts in Argyll & Bute have a designated person they can talk to about their hopes and concerns for the area, who will then feedback those concerns to people in a position to do something about it.”

Part of the Voluntary Arts Network (VAN), VAScotland also promotes arts and crafts as being a force for fun and mental well-being within communities. Jones said: “Taking part in the arts and crafts has so many benefits for individuals and the communities they live in, from improved mental health to crime reduction. It’s also a lot of fun, which is why we want to get the message across to as many people as possible who can help the arts and crafts flourish.”

Jones, an artist and tutor in Bute’s Argyll College, was appointed arts ambassador after a successful interview with VAScotland and has received training from the organisation. The 37-year-old, who lives in Port Bannatyne with her two children, is excited to be involved and believes it is important that arts and crafts are represented in community planning.

“Community planning is a coming together of organisations with an interest in improving life in, and providing services to, the local community. Community planning partnerships are managed by the local authority and include representatives from the police, health service, fire brigade, local business and many more. Given how important the arts and crafts can be to local communities, we want to make sure they have a voice there, too.”

Jones is encouraging all those with an in interest in the arts and crafts sector to contact her at vaa-argyllandbute@vascotland.org.uk or via the Facebook page, and to visit the VAScotland website for more information on the organisation.

By Angela Haggerty

Excitement as Bute TV launches

16 Nov ButeTV

EXCITEMENT is all around on the Isle of Bute after Bute TV made a surprise launch last month on social networking website Facebook, displaying a number of ready-to-go films and a link to Bute’s own streaming community TV channel.

 The station was set up by Bute residents Nicola Jones, an artist and tutor on the island; Angela Haggerty, a trainee journalist; and Peter Wallace, a local businessman and secretary of Bute Community Council.

 Nicola said: “We had all noticed that there was a big push going on in the country for local TV and after myself, Peter and Angela had a chat, we realised we were all having the same idea.

 ”We decided we may as well go for it. Doing it online doesn’t cost a phenomenal amount of money; it’s worth giving it a try. This is a great opportunity for people to actively get involved in the online world, and share their interests with the local community and beyond.”

 The not-for-profit channel will allow Bute residents to get involved in filming and displaying news, reviews and fun from the island. It is hoped it will provide an opportunity for Bute’s younger people to become involved in local TV and gain valuable experience and confidence.

 “To begin with the content will be on-demand”, said Peter, “with viewers visiting the website and playing the videos which interest them, but eventually we hope to be able to be able to programme a set amount of time each week, and even stream live content from events around the island.”

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced in August that 65 UK regions would be eligible to apply for local TV licenses that would enable broadcasting on digital terrestrial TV platform Freeview.

Greenock, Glasgow and Ayr were identified as eligible areas, and an Inverclyde TV Facebook page appeared shortly after, encouraging consideration and discussion on the prospect.

Bute TV however, is happy to remain an online station – for now.

“Going down the route of local TV licenses would be expensive and complicated, and nobody really knows yet whether that will work. We think that the future is online and we want to pursue that,” Nicola said. “We’re keeping an open mind though. We don’t know yet where this will go, nothing is off the table.”

The station is still in the early stages but the group are actively looking for people to get involved, and are eager for people to contact them to express their interest and share their ideas about what the station could do for the local community.

“Our main aim just now is to get the project known and out there. We already have content and the means to have it online. We are continually updating our website as we get new content,” said Nicola. “This is a station for the community and we want their input at every turn. I’m excited about this project and I know we can build this together.”

Watch Bute TV here!

Click here for Bute TV on Facebook

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