Common themes from a community perspective

• There is an overriding feeling that the present system is just not working for the people it should serve.
• There is a lack of long term planning from a strategic level.
• Demand has been growing while capacity planning has seriously lagged behind.
• Management system and decision making is too removed from communities. The lines of responsibility and accountability are not clear to users. The present tripartite encourages the abdication of responsibility. A top down decision making process often not informed by those affected can bring bad decisions for both users and the operator and the public purse.
• Communication is regarded as poor and a weakness in the system. Information very often comes late and can be partial in terms of reasons for change. Information is not thought through in terms of putting the users perspective or providing mitigation or help for affected travellers and communities. The anxiety caused across all aspects of islanders life does not seem to be grasped or understood.
• The present contract puts a timetable as the priority for performance rather than the need to provide a service to the islands designed on communities’ needs. This can be evidenced by statistics reported in the present contract which are very far from the perception of the reality of service delivery. Communities see no consequences for contractor in non-performance with the pain being felt by the users.
• The present tripartite encourages self-interest and territorial behaviour combined with a duplication of resources and a slow decision making process. Port infrastructure is often held up as an example of where another party complicates the decision making process and increases cost and loses value for money. This could be local authorities or private companies. Trust Ports are often seen as the exception as they primarily driven by self-improvement and more closely aligned with their communities.
• The effect of legal and maritime legislation and its interaction with working practices built up between the operator and its workforce is not shared and thus not understood by the communities served. Similarly the obligations placed on an operator to provide a lifeline service are not clearly identified and often subject to interpretation in different scenarios.
• There is a strong public perception that those organisations taking crucial decisions are not equipped with the full range of necessary skills. First-hand knowledge of Island life and having direct maritime experience are seen as a necessary part of skills set largely missing at the moment.
• The wider impact of Ferry services on people’s lives is often overlooked. The anxiety caused and the social damage is often not equated. The effect on population and demographics can negate other Government interventions in this area. Almost every island had examples of people leaving directly attributed to poor ferry services. Health services accessibility constantly came up.
• Onward connectivity with other modes of transportation often does not work at the moment. Services are designed to make time for visitors to spend on islands not for islanders to make efficient use of time on mainland. Especially crucial when important appointments have to mean extra overnights and a huge financial burden.
• The value of employment on ferry services is valued in communities and seen as an integral part of sustaining our communities.
• The work of crews and front line staff who often are the face of the operator are highly valued particularly at times of service failures.

These are a summary of responses. Full notes of meetings held are available.