Conference energises ‘Our Islands Our Future’ campaign

The Our Islands Our Future conference has been hailed as a major milestone on the road to delivering more powers to Scotland’s three island authorities.

Held in Kirkwall, over the past two days, the conference has seen over 150 delegates and 21 speakers from Scotland, the UK and Europe discuss and debate everything from renewables, transport and tax raising powers, to the experience of autonomy in other European islands.

The three island leaders say the conference has delivered a major boost for the campaign.

The convener of Orkney Islands Council, Councillor Steven Heddle, said: “We’re hugely encouraged by the response of delegates and speakers alike, which has validated the work we’ve done to date. It’s been an inspirational event for us all. We’re confident that this campaign is right for our islands, and it’s energised us to press on strongly with our drive for greater powers for our communities.”

Angus Campbell, Leader, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, added: “We are putting a challenge to government at all levels: get on with implementing what you can now to achieve the aims of Our Islands Our Future. We fully accept that with increased powers comes increased responsibility, but we are accountable, we are responsible, we are answerable. We will empower our communities, and that process will begin with an extensive consultation at grass roots level.”

Gary Robinson, Leader, Shetland Islands Council, said: “This debate must move on, and the conference has given us the mandate to raise the bar even higher for our communities. A theme throughout the conference has been ‘now is the time’ – we all agree. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our islands, and we will not shirk from the challenge.”