The confirmation that CalMac Ferries will continue to run the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services has drawn a cautious welcome from island leaders, but they warn the hard work is only just beginning.
Cllr Uisdean Robertson, who chairs Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has urged the Scottish Government to seize this moment to overhaul the way Scotland’s lifeline ferry services are governed.
He described the announcement as a relief after prolonged uncertainty, but made it clear that optimism must be matched by decisive action.
“For too long, islanders have lived with a system that simply doesn’t work for them,” he said.
“This decision must be the start of serious reform.”
Top of his list is transforming the way the CHFS3 contract is managed.
With CalMac confirmed as the operator, Robertson is calling for tighter, more informed oversight and a major shake-up of the current governance structure, which he describes as outdated and ineffective.
He wants to see the functions of CMAL merged with those of Transport Scotland, particularly in areas relating to ferry funding and contract management.
This merger, he believes, would clear a path for stronger coordination and a more responsive ferry service.
Central to his vision is a commitment to bring ferry governance closer to the people it serves.
He’s urging the Scottish Government to base key decision-making roles on the islands themselves and to create public sector jobs rooted in island communities.
While moving a headquarters is no small task, he says there is a real chance to re-centre the ferry system around those who rely on it every day.
“There are skilled civil servants ready to do this work,” Robertson said.
“They should be doing it from the islands, not from desks in Edinburgh.”
He also wants Parliament to play a stronger role, proposing a new committee made up of MSPs from island constituencies.
This committee, he argues, would give those with first-hand understanding of ferry dependence a permanent voice in oversight and reform.
There’s also a call for sweeping changes at the top of David MacBrayne Ltd, the parent company of CalMac.
Robertson wants the entire board restructured, starting with a new Chair who knows island life inside out.
Every appointment, he insists, must be made transparently and based on what islanders actually need.
“The current board has failed to connect with communities,” he said.
“That has to change.”
His message to ministers is direct.
“This isn’t about theory,” he said.
“Ferries are a lifeline.
“We need real change, not more consultations.”
With the contract secured, the future of ferry services is no longer a question of who runs them, but how they’re run and for whom.
