PLANS to pay people to live on islands have been ditched by the Scottish Government, it has been announced.
Island bonds – which would have delivered 100 payments of up to £50,000 to families who lived on or moved to islands – are “not what communities need”, the Government has said.
The plans were controversial, with opponents saying the money would have been better spent on improving infrastructure on islands.
A consultation on the proposals drew 1654 responses and ultimately found island communities did not think they were the correct way to tackle depopulation in Scotland’s islands.
The promise to deliver the bonds was part of the SNP’s 2021 manifesto.
In a response to the consultation, the Scottish Government said the abandoned pledge was “never intended to be a silver bullet to address our island population challenges” but part of a broader strategy.
The consultation response noted that “many” respondents living on the islands “were not convinced that the approach set out would achieve the objective of reversing population decline”.
Those who said they are strongly against the concept feel it is “wrong in principle”, describing it as a “sticking plaster” for the long-term issue of depopulation.
The feedback from islanders highlighted that depopulation on some islands was a key concern but that island bonds were not the way of tackling the problem.
The Scottish Government said that it would implement its “Addressing Depopulation Action Plan” instead of introducing the bonds.
Orkney MSP Liam McArthur – who has previously clashed with the Government on the issue – called the plans an “election gimmick”.
He added: “Rather than tackling the root causes of depopulation, it risked opening up divisions within our island communities.
"I have repeatedly argued that there are far better ways to build the resilience of our island communities, through investing in transport links, broadband and affordable housing.
“Indeed, I have previously proposed using some of the island bond funding to support the introduction of a third aircraft on Orkney's internal routes which would benefit a number of different islands.
"Mairi Gougeon deserves credit for ditching the unworkable island bond plan and I look forward to working with the minister on more realistic proposals that can deliver the objectives of supporting and sustaining our island communities."
Islands secretary Gougeon said: “I would like to thank everyone who responded as part of the consultation process, and especially our island communities for their constructive feedback and suggestions. It is directly because of the feedback from islanders that we are changing our approach.
“The islands bond was never intended to be a silver bullet to address our island population challenges.
“Rather, it was just one element of our wider work, across all Scottish Government, to support our island communities.
“We will continue to address the issue of depopulation on our islands with our National Islands Plan commitment to develop an Action Plan to address this issue, with a draft publication in 2023.
“The learnings and suggestions gathered through the islands bond consultation will be used to shape a range of practical policy tests to inform this action plan.
“Additionally, we are investing £8.3 million this year to deliver the National Islands Plan and critical infrastructure projects based on local priorities.
“Consultation with communities who are directly impacted by the introduction of new policies or strategies is a crucial part of policy development.
“Taking the decision demonstrates our continued commitment to listen to island communities and ensure policy is delivered in collaboration with them, rather than to them.”
