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Balancing on a financial tightrope

We live in a really special place. I know my opinion is clouded by the fact I was born and brought up in South Uist but that doesn’t make it any less true.

I’m in the fortunate position of representing our community as one of the Councillors for the South Uist, Eriskay and Benbecula Ward and also as Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

One of the perks of the job is that I’m privileged to receive information and reports about what’s happening at local, regional and national levels on a daily basis and if anything, that information and my experiences in the job have backed up my opinion.

Of course there are difficulties and issues that need to be resolved but everyone who has put themselves forward to represent their area knows that, and tries their best to resolve the issues and overcome the problems.

The situation that has taken up most of our time at the Comhairle recently has been the small matter of setting our budget for the year 2024/25. We have a legal duty to present and agree a balanced budget and despite late interventions from Government, I’m happy to say that we managed to do just that in February.

What I’m less happy to say is that we had to use up £2m, around half, of our unallocated reserves and make £1.7m of service changes and reductions to do that. Plainly speaking, that means reductions in some of our services and no room for growth.

We also had to put an indicative freeze on filling some long term empty posts to meet a savings target of £300k and rather than using interest received on a loan to the Stornoway Port Authority and the income from increasing Council Tax on second homes to improve some service areas, those revenue sources had to be used to “fill the gap” and stop any further cuts.

I’m sure many of you will have noticed that service levels aren’t what they used to be but the unfortunate reality is that because we have less resources (people and funding) we aren’t always able to provide the levels of service that we’d like to provide. It hasn’t helped that inflation means our finances don’t go as far as they did.

That is the same across much of the public sector. Scottish Government themselves and most other public bodies in Scotland are now having to deal with trying to find savings and efficiencies in order to run their services. For Local Authorities that has been our reality for a number of years now, certainly since I joined the Comhairle seven years ago.

This year we expected a flat cash settlement from the Government but actually received an increase of £2.3m, however once pay deal commitments and other Government priorities were accounted for, it actually meant a £1.5m drop to our General Revenue Grant (GRG), which is the main source of Local Authority funding.

The other source of funding is Council Tax but, as I’m sure you’re aware, we were funded by the Government to freeze it this year. The general view across Scottish Local Authorities is that the funding to do that should have been awarded to Councils in our GRG and we should have been allowed to set the Council Tax at a level that supports the services we need to provide. I’ll not labour the point but apart from the financial side of things, the principle of the Council Tax is that it is a “Council”Tax and it should be up to Councils to decide on it.

I need to commend my fellow Council Members for the decisions they have made, the process of identifying and agreeing the savings was not easy and, as I said during the meetings, the Budget we agreed on wasn’t one any of us would wish to see presented. We went line by line into the detail of budgets across all Departments and it highlighted how little room there is for manoeuvre without looking at compulsory redundancies. Thankfully, we’re not in that position and we were also able to protect the Additional Support Needs (ASN) budget as well as the Inter Island Air service as they were highlighted as council priorities.

This year’s budget setting has been further complicated by late and conflicting messaging from the Scottish Government and we may not actually be able to make some of the savings we’ve already agreed, for example on teacher numbers, putting pressure to find those savings elsewhere during the year.

I really need to commend the staff at the Council, it was one of the most difficult budgets to set in the context of reduced resources and increased costs but when you throw a Cyber Attack into the mix, it really can’t be overstated how extraordinary it was that IT, Finance, Democratic Services and all the other teams at the Council supported the Members to allow us to set the budget.

They are certainly the unsung heroes, but like most heroes their work is never done. The work for next year’s budget will start very soon and it’s not going to be easy. Nobody said it would be but there’s a desire there from Members and Officers to approach it head on. A willingness to be innovative and to protect and improve front line services to the public because at the end of the day, that’s what the Council is there to do.
I believe I mentioned in a previous column that us Islanders are often heard but not necessarily listened to but sometimes the message gets through and it gives you hope that things are changing.

Although we’re still working through the detail it looks like some of our budget lobbying has been effective and meetings with the Deputy First Minister and the Minister for Local Government has led to the announcement of further funding for Councils in general and specifically Island Councils. Too late in terms of the Budget we’ve just set but perhaps enough to allow us to soften any blows during the year and, dare I say it, actually invest in services.

Further proof that we’re being listened to is the £20 million we were awarded as part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Partnership. I hosted the UK Islands Forum on behalf of the Comhairle late last year and having extolled the virtues of what us Islanders can do if we’re given the resources to take things forward we were very pleased to hear Mr Gove and his colleagues’ announcement. We now have to ensure we spend it wisely.

When I started this piece I wanted to tell you a bit about what I’ve been up to and offer some thoughts on what can be done to improve our situation and there is no shortage of material. As you can see the Budget alone took up most of the space! Single Island Authority, Crown Estate Funding, Special Islands Need Allowance, Area Forums, The Islands Deal, the King’s Awards for the Daliburgh SHARE Thrift Shop, the Comhairle committee series taking place in Uist and Barra in April and all the rest will have to wait for another day.

So I’ll finish with this and reiterate that I think we live in a really special place but to allow it to thrive we need to focus activity around three areas; 1-You need to be able to get here (and away, reliably, regularly and affordably) 2-You need to be able to live here (in accommodation that meets your needs at a price that’s affordable) 3-You need to be able to work here (in well paid jobs in a varied economy)
If we can get those three things right then the rest will follow.

Marina damage still in question

The newly expanded and improved pier at Lochmaddy was officially opened on 26th February, with Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop on hand to cut the ribbon.

Although the new pier has already been in operation for some time, the ceremony marked a formal conclusion to the infrastructure works and offered an opportunity to thank the teams involved in the project.

Cllr Uisdean Robertson, the Comhairle’s Chair of Transportation, said: “The delivery of this project alongside the improvement works at Tarbert and Uig has demonstrated the value of close partnership working between Transport Scotland, CMAL, CalMac, Local Authorities and partner organisations. The development of the pier in anticipation of the arrival of the ferries currently under construction in Turkey is welcome and will see a dedicated vessel on the Lochmaddy to Uig route.”

The £15.3m contract to upgrade the CnES owned pier had been awarded to George Leslie Ltd in February 2022 and works were originally due to be completed in the Spring of 2023. The project has delivered improved berthing facilities, a strengthened and extended pier, new fendering and an expanded marshalling area, in readiness for the new vessel that will operate on the Uig route.

The works have not been without controversy. Lochmaddy Marina Ltd is pursuing the contractors involved with the project to determine liability for what they describe as £700k-plus write-off costs.

A spokesperson for Lochmaddy Marina Ltd told Am Pàipear: “When works first started in the spring of 2022, the anchor securing the marina pontoons to the sea bed floor were dragged a full five metres out of place. We were part way through negotiations for the anchor’s reinstatement and were not expecting dredging to commence without its return to position.

“Exactly one hour and three minutes prior to the accident taking place, I got a text message from the sub contractor saying the dredging had started. The next thing was a panicked phone call saying that the hammer head pontoon at the end of the marina had been wrenched upside down.

“If there had been a boat tied up, or heaven forbid, crew members asleep in the hold, there could have been deadly consequences. As it is, the marina will not be in a position to open to the marine tourists that Lochmaddy usually hosts, and in real terms, that is money not in the tills of local shops and businesses.” “We remain now in the hands of the various solicitors when it would be much simpler in our view for reinstatement costs to be paid and we can all move on. After five months, our hope to appeal to the better natures of those involved is now wearing thin.”

A spokesperson for George Leslie told Am Pàipear: “We are aware of the allegations. At present, the matter is being investigated by insurers. We will have no further comment to make on this issue.”

Positive news from Crofting Commission

Figures released last month from the Crofting Commission highlight a positive upturn in the number of new entrants to crofting.

Across Scotland, the commission reports 510 new croft tenants in 2022/23, with almost half that number being women and almost a third aged under 41 years.

The figures mark a five- year high in the number of new entrants to crofting and highlight the growing interest in this unique land tenure system, particularly among younger generations.

In Uist, the positive picture played out with 29 new entrants, including 12 women and 12 under the age of 40.

The news has been welcomed in the Western Isles, where the decline in population is currently around 5.5% and a continuing cause for concern.

Commenting on the release, Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan said: “The latest figures for new entrants to crofting are very encouraging. This progress demonstrates new measures on helping prospective new crofters secure a croft tenancy are working, though of course there is still more that can be done to make the process more efficient and to further widen access.

The entrants are taking up their new role as crofters at a critical time for the sector. Changes to the way agricultural support is awarded will be introduced in 2026 and are expected to place greater burdens on smaller farmers and crofters.

The Scottish Crofting Federation (SCF) has called for a fairer approach to the new funding regime, and last month joined fellow sector organisations in a protest at the Scottish Parliament.

Addressing the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee, SCF Chief Executive Donna Smith said:

“We believe that the agriculture bill is not fit for the purposes stated in the objectives, such as the production of high-quality food and nature restoration. It will not enable crofters and other small-scale producers to deliver on these objectives. There are no firm mechanisms to truly support rural communities, but rather a focus on large-scale industrial food production.”

The national picture makes for a worrying backdrop for local crofters, who face significant increases in the price of feed and fertiliser, the additional cost of transporting stock on and off the island and a still uncertain future for Lochmaddy Mart.

Click through to the March edition of the paper to read about two families taking up crofts.

Sarah Jane MacSween – Executive Head, Uist Primary Schools

Discover your inner kindness this Christmas – ‘tis the season to be jolly and kind!

As we approach Christmas, we start to hear the word ‘kindness’ and are reminded that this word is commonly used at this time of the year.

I recently heard that kindness was contagious. It got me thinking, whether this was true and more importantly, is there any evidence to back that statement? My immediate thoughts led me to events and celebrations that unsurprisingly, all occurred within school settings. A school environment is arguably the most likely place to see evidence of natural and unconscious kindness. The evidence can be found on corridor and classroom displays, children’s work and Achievement and Celebration Walls to name but a few. Kindness can also be observed through the caring and thoughtful interactions between adult and child and their interactions with each other. I then asked myself the question, is kindness something that can be learned and how and when does it get taught?

Kindness is more than random acts. Being a kind person is about having an awareness and a willingness to respond to the needs of others.

Children learn from the examples set by the adults that surround them. Some say that they begin to imitate others from the moment they are born. As their first educators, parents/carers have the duty to allow their children to experience kindness themselves first hand and so give them the best possible start in life. Of course schools play a significant role in moulding and creating our future generation. However, it is not just the work of the school; the whole community can shape and influence young learners. Family and friendship groups can also make a significant contribution to the attitudes that our children form.

One of the building blocks of kindness is to understand and respect the rights of others. Across the Uist primaries, we pride ourselves on the quality of our Teaching and Learning about rights. Our schools have achieved silver, gold and reaccredited gold Right Respecting Schools status. Teaching and learning about rights involves whole school community involvement, our curriculum, assemblies, interdisciplinary learning, focus days and weeks and the children’s creative and informative displays within the school.

The Uist primaries will continue their Rights Respecting Schools Award journeys as a means to keeping our young children at the centre of everything that we do. We are committed to putting children’s rights at the heart of our school life. We strive to create safe and inspiring places to learn, where children are respected and learn to respect others. By enabling children to have positive attitudes to themselves and others, we enable them to form relationships characterised by kindness.

The school curriculum aims to ensure that all children and young people in Scotland develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they will need to become successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. Underlying these capacities is the capacity to be aware of the needs of others, in a way that treats them with dignity and respect.

Each year our children and our families participate in a number of ways in responding to the needs of others at Christmas. For example, families contribute generously to the Blythswood Shoebox Appeal and a Christmas Swap Shop gives families the chance to find pre-loved party gear or Christmas jumpers. Within our schools, efforts are made to reduce family expenses through the effective use of The Cost of The School Day Toolkit. Families are encouraged to sell unwanted toys/clothes etc. on the schools’ Facebook pages, where all proceeds go towards school funds. Children and their families also reach out to the needs of the wider community by supporting local and national charities, such as WICCI, MacMillan Cancer and Marie Curie.
Another important contribution was when a school and Parent Council purchased electric trikes in partnership with the local care home as part of the Cycling Without Age Scotland initiative.
Across our Uist primaries, themed assemblies and special days highlight local, national and international issues and concerns, ensuring that children are well informed about the needs of others.

A wide range of activities that demonstrate our children’s experiences of expressing kindness take place through the course of the year. These include The Poppy Scotland Appeal, harvest festivals, donations to the local foodbank, panto/concert matinee performances for senior citizens, The Big Scottish Breakfast, sharing of pre-loved school uniform items for exchange free of charge and many other important acts of kindness.

Our schools are very fortunate to have such a high level of generous support and kindness shown to us by our local communities and businesses. Through the kindness of many donors, we receive support for school projects and events such as involvement in Mod preparation, purchases of healthy break time snacks, participation in Remembrance Sunday and sharing in intergenerational activities.

When I reflect on this range of activities in families, schools and communities, I think I can say with confidence that kindness is indeed infectious and alive and well in the Western Isles.

Uist nominees line up

Chaidh sgioba beòthail agus tàlantach ainmeachadh airson 21mh Duaisean Ceòl Traidiseanta na h-Alba aig MG ALBA a tha a’ taisbeanadh na tha de thàlant ann an saoghal ceòl traidiseanta na h-Alba.
Fans of the genre were able to vote for who they think deserves to take home each prestigious award, with the winners announced at the annual glittering awards ceremony at Caird Hall in Dundee on Saturday 2nd December 2023.

Le cànan is ceòl aig cridhe nan eilean, chan eil iongnadh ann gu bheil a leithid as na h-eileanan air an ainmeachadh airson na duaisean urramach a tha seo. Tha na duaisean seo a’ sealltainn an luach a thathar a cuir air na tha a h-uile duine air a’ gheàrr-liosta air a choileanadh fad bliadhna.
Le ath-bheothachadh drùidhteach air a’ ghnè, a’ ruighinn luchd-èisteachd nas fharsainge le fèisean is tachartasan ùra a’ tighinn am bàrr bliadhna às deidh bliadhna, tha na duaisean – air an cur air dòigh leis a’ bhuidheann ‘Hands Up For Trad ‘– a’ seasamh mar theisteanas air tarraingeachd leantainneach an t-saoghail.

From new events and festivals making history to the country’s best bands and composers, the successful nominees represent the past, present and future of a world traditional Scottish music and are located all over the country.

Local democracy matters

In my roles as Chief Executive of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Returning Officer for na h-Eileanan an Iar and Convener of the Electoral Management Board, I have spent many days supporting the delivery of the democratic process and encouraging people to think about not just participating in it as voters but also considering being a candidate for election, at whatever level: Community Council, Local Government, Holyrood or Westminster. A Brussels or Strasbourg option is now off the table. The right to engage with politics was hard- won, is the envy of many elsewhere in the world and should not be taken for granted.

Engaging with local government, elected community organisations and groups run for the benefit of their local area is among the best ways of understanding, addressing, and developing solutions to the complex challenges faced by individuals living in the Western Isles. It is also among the best ways to develop and grow the strengths of a community; there always needs to be a healthy balance between addressing needs and identifying and taking advantage of opportunities. It is often Local Government and elected organisations which can and will make the biggest difference at a local level, and when that happens, that is community empowerment in action.

Listening, sharing views and working in partnership towards agreed outcomes are all means of sustaining Uist as a fantastic place to live, work and learn.

Over the next month individuals in Uist will have the opportunity to have a say on who represents them at the most local level during the elections for Community Councils and the Board of Directors of Stòras Uibhist. I hope that there will be high levels of engagement in both of these elections. Local Government Elections in Uist are always contested, often by many candidates, and Uist is well represented in positions of leadership within the Comhairle: the Council Leader is Paul Steele from South Uist, Uisdean Robertson leads for us on Transport and Infrastructure and every one of the Uist councillors is an office bearer within other Committees and Boards.

It has been heartening to see the level of political discourse and activity in Uist over the last number of months, arising of course from difficult circumstances, to put it mildly, particularly on the transport front. I hope that this community action will transfer to interest and participation in these elections.
In June we saw hundreds march in protest over the failures of the CalMac ferry service, a showing of mass political engagement that is rarely seen outside of the UK’s major cities.

Individuals in Uist have shown an unwillingness to sit back and accept the levels of service offered and the decision- making structures which have resolved what the levels of service should be. There is real power in presenting a well- reasoned and thought-out case and demonstrating grassroots local political campaigning.

For some though, there may be question marks over why standing for Community Council election is a good outlet for this political interest.

First of all, it’s important to define what exactly a Community Council does. Scottish Community Councils define a Community Council as being:

“A voluntary organisation set up by statute by the Local Authority and run by local residents to act on behalf of its area. As the most local tier of elected representation, Community Councils play an important role in local democracy.”

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar cannot – and does not want to – run services with a one size fits all approach and already adapts delivery to match the specific needs of local areas, as far as we can. The role of the Community Councils alongside elected members is to establish and communicate the local needs and priorities of their own area.

The next question is perhaps: who should become involved in Community Councils?

Again looking at the Scottish Community Council’s definitions:

“Community Councils are comprised of people who care about their community and want to make it a better place to live.”

This is key, for our Community Councils to function effectively they must be comprised of people who genuinely care about their local area.

Community Councils have a key role to play in gathering information from the local community and campaigning for positive change in their area. Whether it is to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Scottish Government, UK Government or public or private companies it is vital that people living in local areas have opportunities to express their views on the services they access and to outline their own priorities.
Uist, like the rest of the Western Isles, currently faces an array of opportunities as well as some complex issues which are unhelpful to sustainability and arguably now more than ever Uist needs strong representative voices.

Access to reliable transport links has become a critical challenge and an area of continued disruption while the delayed roll-out of fast broadband connections further impacts on connectivity to the mainland. These are practical issues that require a solution that works for the people of Uist.
It is important that these challenges are acknowledged and made a priority. However, the next few years also promise to present some exciting opportunities for employment and growth that give plenty of reasons for optimism and excitement.

For us to be best placed to make the most of these opportunities and tackle these challenges it is important that we have informed individuals who care about their local area in positions where they can represent them.

For Uist to thrive the essentials of any sound economy are required: jobs and housing.

On this topic there are grounds for optimism: the employment of graduates in Uist and Eriskay through Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s Graduate Scheme, the promise of employment opportunities through the Spaceport 1 project and the growth of local businesses thanks to Business Gateway investment have all contributed much needed youth employment opportunities.

Community owned company Stòras Uibhist has recruited an Estate Management Apprentice following engagement with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s Employability Team. One of a number of apprentices currently employed in Uist.

Since the community buyout of South Uist in 2006 Stòras Uibhist has worked to create opportunities such as this for residents while managing the natural environment of the area.

Community land ownership should place the interests of the local community at the heart of decision making and presents opportunities for the drawing of funding to directly benefit people living in an area.
Community ownership also gives an opportunity for people to have a direct voice over the strategy and outcomes for their area. This month’s democratic election of Stòras Uibhist directors is an example of this.

I have been heartened to see the number of candidates for the Directorship election and encourage all eligible voters to engage with the process.

New concerns raised over patient travel provision

Fiona MacVicar

In its June issue, Am Pàipear shared concerns expressed by patient bodies and third sector organisations that the gap between travel costs incurred and reimbursement payments made by NHSWI was leaving many patients out of pocket and having a detrimental effect on their health and wellbeing.
The article prompted a number of readers to get in touch with Am Pàipear to raise awareness of another issue negatively affected patients travelling to off-island medical appointments: the funding of escorted travel.

The NHSWI Travel Policy details the criteria for allowing funded, patient escorts: “In general, a travel escort will only be provided by NHS Western Isles if the patient has a significant clinical condition that makes independent travel impossible.”

Prior to 2018, requests for funded escorts were approved by the patient’s GP; the new Travel Policy places that responsibility with the Stornoway-based NHS Western Isles Medical Director.

Patients say that the change has resulted in fewer escort approvals, leaving many vulnerable patients with a difficult choice; to face the stress of travelling alone or to pay the additional travel costs of an escort themselves. Those without adequate funds face a starker choice still: either travel alone or don’t travel at all.

As one patient told us: “It’s expensive to be poorly in Uist and Barra and illness doesn’t single out the wealthy.”

Steven MacDonald, originally from North Uist and now living in Wester Ross, spoke to Am Pàipear of the trauma his family faced when his heavily pregnant wife Sophie became ill while on a visit home last year:
“At 5pm we phoned NHS 24 as Sophie wasn’t feeling great and were asked to head to the hospital. Her blood pressure was quite high, so the doctor was concerned.

“Arrangements were made to fly us to Raigmore and at this point, I was told I would not be allowed to be her escort. They were willing to fly my heavily pregnant wife on her own to Inverness. Eventually, at 10pm, we were told we were being flown out to Aberdeen of all places. We didn’t arrive until 1am and the paramedic on board told us he tried to have us routed to Glasgow, but this was against the doctor’s wishes.”

After intense discussion, Steven was finally granted permission to travel with Sophie, but the family have still to receive any reimbursement for the cost of Stephen’s travel:

“We submitted claim after claim with all appropriate receipts and to this day have never got our money back.”

Many of the other people Am Pàipear spoke to wanted to share their experiences with readers, but asked to remain anonymous. They spoke of the financial and emotional impacts of being refused funded escort support.

An older woman told of her lost independence following a serious fall: “I used to do everything myself but since the fall, I can’t get about on my own and I’ve lost my confidence.” Despite mobility issues and crippling anxiety, she has been refused an escort, and told Am Pàipear that she is now considering cancelling her appointment: “I just don’t think I can face going alone.”

Another woman who regularly travels to the mainland for cancer treatment described the situation as ‘an inequity of the service’:

“If you live in Glasgow and are going to the sort of appointment where you could potentially get bad news, you would have someone with you. That’s not an option here in the islands and you would be required to travel home alone. I have seen people on the plane visibly upset after receiving bad news at an appointment.”One cancer patient with addiction issues was refused an escort, despite letters of support from the GP, his support worker and the MacMillan nurse: “Had it not been for a Cancer Care Forum paying for an escort to travel with him, he would not have attended hisscan.”

Another woman, who regularly travels to the mainland for specialist breast screening appointments, highlighted the prohibitive cost of patient travel: “A standard room with no breakfast cost me £192.00 and I waited approximately four weeks for reimbursement. If I couldn’t afford that, I would have cancelled my appointment, which some have unfortunately had to do.”

The sentiments shared with Am Pàipear echo the responses to a survey developed by retired nurse and North Uist Community Council member Effie Rodgers, and the late Flora MacDonald, Ahmore. The survey detailed the views of 11 local cancer patients highlighting the financial hardship and emotional strain of travel to and from off island appointments. The survey is expected to be rolled out to the wider patient community in due course.

Responding to the concerns raised, an NHS Western Isles spokesperson said:

“It is important to stress that, where escorts are clinically required, they are approved in line with our policy. However, we must ensure that the criteria are applied in a fair way. This will ensure that those patients who require an escort will continue to receive financial assistance, but it will also mean that those who do not meet the criteria will not receive NHS funding for an escort. We understand and acknowledge that in some cases, this will be disappointing. However, there is a limited budget for patient travel, which is under significant pressure, and we must ensure that the money available is spent appropriately.”

The NHS Travel Policy is due for review this month.

Long waiting lists and high costs put childcare out of reach of parents

Siân Swinton

‘We are being failed by a lack of nursery provision.’ This is the message from parents on North Uist who have been contending with long waiting lists and high costs for childcare.

“It’s a national picture with local implications,” Ceiteag of Cothrom Òg in South Uist told Am Pàipear. Cothrom held a meeting at the beginning of the year with the Social Justice and Social Security Committee of the Scottish Government to discuss difficulties in accessing childcare on Uist.

“Without housing, childcare, employment and good transport links we can’t encourage people to remain or come and stay here. It’s all linked with the economic aspect,” said Ceiteag.

Concerns have, again, been raised in the six months since that meeting. Am Pàipear was approached by several worried parents in North Uist who are having to make the difficult decision between returning to work and relying on the kindness of family and friends to provide childcare or giving up on work altogether until their child can get a space in nursery or go to school.

At the moment funding is only available for 30 hours per week of childcare, beginning the term after the child turns three; funding is not available for children under three years of age.

Kirsty MacDonald, a parent in North Uist, told Am Pàipear that she is currently paying £625 a month to send her children to nursery for three and a half hours a day, three days a week so she can continue working.

Ceiteag said that national level investment is needed into childcare facilities and staff training to meet the needs of families with children aged 0-3 years as local authorities will not be able to plug this gap within current budgets.

A lack of staff and space compounds the issue. The required staff-to-child ratios get smaller the younger the child is; one adult can accommodate eight children between the ages of three and eight years but can only take on three children aged under three. These staff ratios and the square footage of the rooms dictate how many children the nursery can accommodate.

The problem is worse in North Uist which has experienced a ‘baby boom’ in the last few years. This has created more opportunities for employment in the childcare sector but the Comhairle has had little success in their drive for recruitment, with one parent saying they only see postings for ‘relief ’ positions, which are unattractive to anyone trying to earn a stable income.

A community meeting was held at the Claddach Kirkibost Centre on Friday, 25 August to discuss concerns around early years provision with Comhairle senior officers and North Uist Councillors in attendance.

Angela MacVicar was at the meeting and told Am Pàipear of the difficulty she is having in securing childcare for the gap between her return to work and when she can get a space in the nursery.
“I put my son on the waiting list in January and he can’t get in until November. I need to go back to work in September so I have to rely on my dad providing childcare. He’s self-employed and will have to take the time off unpaid.”

Aimée Fuller echoed Angela’s concerns and said that, although she hopes that she has been able to secure a space for her child, she is worried about what to do during school holidays when the nursery at Sgoil Uibhist a Tuath is closed.

“I work full time as a manager in a hotel so my busiest times are in the holidays when the nursery is closed! We don’t have family on the island to rely on either.”

All the parents that Am Pàipear spoke to were quick to praise the nursery itself and the service they receive from the staff but expressed disappointment at the lack of funding and care shown by the Comhairle and, on a national level, the Scottish Government.

Following the meeting, parents said they had not been given adequate solutions had instead been given the opportunity to apply for a £500 council grant to start their own childminding business.

Cllr Hocine said, “I felt that most parents understood the difficulties in delivering a service that will suit everyone, especially in the current financial climate. There was a good and positive discussion and some good suggestions were made that the Council will look at and get back to the parents.”

“Comhairle nan Eilean Siar appreciates that there is currently a demand for spaces in Saoghal Beag Sgoil Araich Uibhist a’Tuath. Following a meeting with parents the Comhairle has agreed to look at a number of possible solutions.”

Aimee said: “Meanwhile women lose their jobs.”

Teen health concerns

Siân Swinton

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has unanimously voted to support a ban on single use vapes, coming in line with a majority of local councils in Scotland.

Single use vapes are electronic cigarettes marketed as ‘disposable’ and designed for one time use.

Councillor Susan Thomson, who led the proposal, said: “We want to make it clear we are not targeting refillable vapes, which can be a valuable tool to stop smoking. This is about marketing inappropriate products to children.”

The main focus of the ban is the danger to the health of young people, who are being enticed into using these devices by the bright colours and sweet flavours, according to the motion put to the Comhairle.

“Children and young people who vape have a three times higher risk of going on to smoke cigarettes,” said Cllr Thomson. “I just don’t think we know enough about them.”

The Health and Well-being Census Scotland 2021-2022 found that there were a higher number of regular vapers among S2 and S4 pupils than regular smokers with 6.7% and 2.7% respectively.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh both support a ban of the devices.

The environmental impact of single use vapes has also been brought into question. Laura Young, a climate activist and environmental scientist based in Dundee, has been very vocal about the campaign to ban single use vapes and points out on her website Less Waste Laura that many of the companies that make the vapes do not give sufficient information on how to dispose of them.

Despite their marketing as ‘disposable’, vapes are classed as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and are meant to be disposed of at specialised centres rather than included in regular household waste.

The motion put to the Comhairle states: “…disposable vapes contain a range of precious metals including lithium and copper, which can be collected if recycled in a safe and appropriate manner…many disposable vapes are designed in a manner that does not allow for them to be disassembled and their valuable recyclable materials separated.”

Uist residents wishing to recycle these devices responsibly are unable to do so, as facilities to safely deal with them simply do not exist on the island.

As well as generating unwanted plastic waste, the single use vapes contain lithium-ion batteries which, when crushed, can cause fires and small explosions within bin lorries and at waste treatment centres. These ‘ghost fires’ have resulted in many waste treatment centres having to invest in fire detection technology at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds. The dangerous nature of the batteries also pose a risk to the person using the device and this is more difficult to control.

According to research commissioned by Material Focus, a non-profit organisation promoting re-use and recycling of electrical items, 1.3 million single use vapes are discarded each week, which adds up to 10 tonnes of lithium being wasted each year – enough to power batteries for 1200 electric vehicles.
Zero Waste Scotland has begun a review on the environmental impact of single use vapes, taking into account the loss of important resources such as lithium and the effect of plastic pollution. First Minister Humza Yousaf has confirmed a ban is something the Scottish Government is considering and will wait until the review has been completed to make final decisions.

Glastonbury festival was recently in the news for putting single use vapes on their ‘do not bring’ list due to their commitment to reducing their impact on the environment. Eilean Dorcha Festival, based on the fragile environment of Liniclate machair, were asked about their stance on the devices considering the landscape in which the festival takes place and were happy to say they would ban the devices too.
With a message also going out to parents of children at Sgoil Lionacleit regarding a meeting on the pupil use of vapes at school, it does seem as though distaste and worry surrounding single use vapes is coming from every area and aspect of the community.

Sgoil Lionacleit has scheduled a meeting with parents to discuss the issue.


The final point in the motion to the Comhairle states: “…a ban on the sale of disposable, single use vapes be introduced in Scotland as soon as is practicably possible in order to help move Scotland toward a sustainable circular economy and protect children and young people from risks to their long-term health.”