Argyll and Bute Council will not renew its finding for the Jura Passenger Ferry. This is probably the most constructive outcome. The council would not have had the wisdom to put any subsidy where it might actually have grown a sustainable service. There would have been another term of a loss-making service run without action to grow it to earn its keep.
Now it’s over to Jura in a different sense – make up your mind time.
We have no doubt that it is possible to run a commercially sustainable service on this route – if it is energetically and methodically sold to the markets that are there to be built for it.
Had the Jura Development Trust done what it should have done over the three year period the council paid for and paid again in bail outs, this service would have been safe by now.
The SNP candidate for Argyll and Bute in the 2011 Scottish Election, Michael Russell, is saying what everyone will say, expressing astonishment and disappointment at Argyll and Bute Councils withdrawal of funding from this ferry.
He says: ‘This is extremely disappointing news for the residents and businesses on the island. This is clearly a very short sighted decision by the Council under the acting Lib Dem leader Ellen Morton which puts this excellent and much needed service at threat. For a relatively small saving the Council has jeopardised the significant economic benefit that this service brings to the Island. I will do everything I possibly can to assist in ensuring that this service can survive into the future’.
Of course it is disappointing for Jura residents and businesses but actually we back the council on this one.
Why should the Council throw public money at a service those entrusted with it did not bother to build over the three years they had the chance to do so?
I don’t understand the first paragraph.
This sentence is bizarre;
“The council would not have had the wisdom to put any subsidy where it might actually have grown a sustainable service.”
Perhaps yous need to say this differently?
Perhaps the article could be proof read to ensure apostrophes are present where they should be too?
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Your bizarre writing style is causing a lot of confusion.
You are either telling us that the council has withdrawn ferry funding and this is a good thing, or that you hope that the council withdraws funding because it would be a good thing.
Which one?
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I think ‘forargyll’ are saying that with a little help from the council, it could have led to the service expanding and perhaps self funding. Just needs a kick start??
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Thanks Phil
Google Translate didn’t work…
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For Harry Wragg: The first sentence of the article led on from the title – which made the position, as of today, clear. But if this connection was being missed, we’ve added a new first sentence, with apologies.
And we re saying that the council gave this service the decent support of three funded years to find a market – during which the responsible fundholding organisation, the Jura Development Trust, did not do so.
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That clears that one up.
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How can this article be so partisan and so badly constructed?
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It seems that partisan ‘For Argyll’ have ‘had it in’ for this service and especially JDT from the beginning. JDT are not ‘ferry experts’, but a voluntary based community group, succeeding in resurrecting a direct link service – for the first time to Jura since 1976. The 3 year pilot project was a great success – albeit not enough money had been allowed for marketing the service. 3 years is not long enough for a pilot project – it should have been at least 5. So, it’s all very well having this ‘I told you so’ attitude, ‘For Argyll’ – but all you are doing is putting the backs up of a lot of Jura residents!
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For Jura hen: We could not be more pro Jura. It is like no other island, with its own very particular character and challenges
But frankly, voluntary or not, if you take public money – you work for it.
The deal was that you had three years of funding during which you were to make the service financially sustainable – and no serious attempt was made to do his.
Even now, with the service withdrawn, there is no talk of buckling down and doing the slog of sales work – for which there is no quick-fire silver bullet. It;s still about trying to talk again to the council.
The sort of work that needs to be done does not cost a lot of money – it does cost invention, research, and hard work – making individual contacts with sporting groups and association and with those who provide services and experiences for them – talking them down and making sure the island can deliver what they want – including this glorious ferry route.
You need to show that people other than Jurachs want and will reliably use this service and will pay a fair price for it.
If you made this a communal challenge – to identify, contact and build the specific markets that exists for this service – and coordinate the efforts with good organisation – you can make this fun and a communal achievement from which the island will never look back.
The continuance of the ferry matters to everyone on the island and there’s no reason why everyone should not be actively involved in building its market to make its sustainability guaranteed.
When we said what we said we knew it would infuriate many people and undoubtedly the entire island of Jura. But it had to be said and whatever else we are, we’re about calling it like it is.
In a way we’re challenging Jura to show what it’s made of. If you take on the challenge you can count on us to do all we can to help.
Start thinking of doing this for yourselves, You can. Stop thinking it’s about subsidy and public money. Those days are gone. They’re not coming back – and that’s no bad thing.
Of course you’re angry with us but if you gear up to take this on you’ll find no one works harder or more inventively to help you than we will – for nothing.
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