The Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has announced £20 million to fund improvements for the Corran Ferry, after the Highland Council’s £50 million bid to the UK Levelling Up Fund for a new electric vessel failed.
The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement last week included “the reallocation of £20 million from within the Inverness & Highland City Region Deal to fund essential landside infrastructure improvements for the Corran Ferry, subject to agreement through the appropriate Deal governance structures.
“This will ensure the long-term sustainability of the lifeline service,” the statement said.
The Scottish Government’s Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said tonight: “We welcome the UK Government confirming it will re-purpose some of its existing growth deal funding to support infrastructure linked to the Corran Ferry, though would note our disappointment that this is not new funding. We are working collaboratively with The Highland Council on the Corran Ferry and will continue to do so.”
The Highland Council, which runs the Corran Ferry service across Loch Linnhe, welcomed the reallocation of the £20 million.
Leader of the Council Raymond Bremner, SNP, Wick and East Caithness, said: “While we are of course disappointed Highland did not receive levelling up funding in the latest round, the reallocation of £20 million from the Inverness and Highland City Region Deal is extremely welcome and will go some way to enable essential shoreside infrastructure improvements for the Corran Ferry.
“I am pleased our active engagement with the UK Government has resulted in this positive announcement. It represents an important first step in taking forward a sustainable and resilient solution for this life-line service.
“The news demonstrates the success of our approach of working constructively with government to help deliver a new ferry for the Corran Narrows. More needs to be done and the council is working hard to secure all the funding required to provide a replacement ferry for the benefit of communities and visitors.”
Convener of the council Bill Lobban, Highland Independent, Badenoch and Strathspey, added: “This is really good news and a huge step forward in delivering a sustainable, long term solution to the Corran Ferry problem which has blighted the community for many months.”
The funding, the council explained, will be used for shoreside infrastructure which will provide modern berthing facilities that can accommodate a wider range of roll on-roll off ferries and provide health and safety improvement for the crew.
The council has previously allocated £1.6m towards the design of these facilities and that project is now well advanced. A further report will be brought to the full council to set out the key steps.
The Scottish Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston welcomed the news and said it “will provide some much-needed encouragement for those local residents and businesses who rely on the Corran Ferry”.
“I raised the importance of this crossing with the UK Government, including with UK Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove last year, and I know colleagues have continued to push for the UK Government to step in and help where Scottish ministers have, so far, failed to do so.
“Successive SNP Transport Ministers have all but washed their hands of this problem, and who knows how long communities would be waiting if it was left to the Scottish Government to provide some urgency in delivering improvements.
“This route is a vital link for local communities and, after a year of damaging disruption – with both the MV Corran and the MV Maid of Glencoul left out of action, and far too much uncertainty over the future of the service – this UK Government funding will hopefully act as a catalyst for some real action to deliver a reliable and sustainable service.
“Local communities will now look to how Highland Council and the Scottish Government come together to work on how to build on this announcement.”
Kate Forbes, SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, added: “Any funding towards the Corran Narrows crossing is of course welcome, and as the constituency MSP for Lochaber, I look forward to receiving further details from the UK Government.
“Over the past year the lack of a functioning ferry has had a significantly detrimental impact on residents and businesses on the Ardnamurchan and Morvern peninsulas, and I hope this new funding puts further pressure on Highland Council to provide some sort of compensation scheme for those affected.
“The key is now to progress plans as quickly as possible to ensure there is a sustainable future for the Ardnamurchan and Morvern communities.”
Fort William and Ardnamurchan councillor Angus MacDonald, Lib Dem, said: “This announcement from the Chancellor is excellent news and hopefully, should Transport Scotland match it, we would be well on our way to having harbour facilities and a ferry.
“We really do need the Scottish Government to step in now. The economic viability of Ardnamurchan and Morvern is at stake here.”
A fellow councillor in the ward, Thomas MacLennan, Highland Independent, also “wholeheartedly” welcomed this “good news for Corran Ferry users”.
“At long last some real progress can be made to provide a robust crossing at Ardgour,” he said. “We haven’t seen the exact detail for this funding yet, but today will go down as a significant day in fixing the Corran Ferry issue.”