Inside Holyrood: Common sense arguments are against remote air traffic control as Hial plans to base that aspect of their operations in Inverness
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Labour MSP Rhoda Grant argues against centralising air traffic control services in Inverness, fearing job losses in remote rural locations.
With little movement on Covid restrictions over recent weeks, businesses continue to be hit hard.
While government funding to mitigate the impact of the virus is reaching some businesses, it isn’t reaching all and many owners are telling me they have ‘fallen between stools’ and have not had an ounce of help.
The problem is that councils are having to wait too long for ring fencing criteria to come down the line from the Scottish Government and the eligibility criteria for business support is so tight that desperately-needed cash, unbelievably, is going unspent. For example, 57 per cent of the Coronavirus Restrictions Fund was allocated, but 4000 applications were rejected.
However, in response to the budget statement, Scottish Labour secured a vague commitment from the Finance Secretary to work with local authorities to inject some flexibility into the system. I hope Miss Forbes will work with councils on this crucial lifeline matter in the coming weeks.
Another common-sense argument that I continue to make is the desperate need to stop Highlands and Islands Airport Ltd’s (Hial) proposal to strip Air Traffic Control (ATC) jobs out of our local communities.
Its plans to centralise ATC services in Inverness and support airports across the Highlands and Islands with remote ATC continue to come under intense criticism due to lack of transparency, lack of consideration of the risks and project costs, and for not being in the interests of the communities they serve.
Hial is relying on technical speak to hide the fact that this project is not well thought-through, or cost effective, and is being pushed forward out of sheer stubbornness. When you start to pull the thread of Hial’s argument, it starts to unravel.
The ATC functions at Wick and Benbecula Airports are further affected as they are to be downgraded, with the removal of ATC. I fear that this is due to saving costs in the centralisation project. It is also puzzling that this should be proposed for Wick when there are plans to launch satellites from a base so close by in Sutherland.
This surely will add a further risk to operations if not properly managed by Air Traffic Controllers? If the proposal goes ahead the area can ill-afford to lose these steady jobs, never mind contend with the safety fears of the plan.
Hial is simply not willing to engage with its staff; with the communities it is there to serve and not, as its performance before the Petitions Committee in Holyrood last week would suggest, with the Scottish Parliament or any other scrutiny body.
I have therefore written to Audit Scotland asking if they will step in and try to get some detail and honesty around this scheme once and for all. Let’s hope for some common-sense on this too.
