EDWARD MOUNTAIN: Wick airport is vital to Caithness – we must save flights
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Holyrood Notebook by Edward Mountain
On the day before the parliament rose for the Christmas recess, news finally came about the dualling of the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
Some 16 years ago the Scottish Government promised to dual that section before 2025. Sadly, it wasn’t until earlier this year the they admitted this was not going to happen.
The statement has clarified that the plan is now to dual the A9 between Inverness and Perth by 2035, just 10 years late! The sadness is that those 10 years have cost lives and investment in the Highlands.
For those reasons alone there can be no further delays. In the next 12 years the government will have to dual seven miles every year. I do hope that is not the limit of their aspirations and that they can find a way of speeding the project up.
During the last few days, Rhoda Grant MSP and I have met with the Minister for Transport to jointly put forward a case to continue the Wick Airport Public Service Obligation. Without this and the funding the government provides, there is no doubt that the airport would close. This would be disastrous for Caithness.
We both stressed the importance of the airport to the local economy and why the growing numbers of passengers should be welcomed. I also feel strongly that the airport is vital to the delivery of healthcare in Caithness.
When the A9 is closed then the option of being able to recover a patient to Raigmore by air is crucial. We also questioned what the actual cost of closing the airport would be. Probably more than keeping the airport open.
What is clear, though, is if we do not use the airport, we will lose it. So, my plea to everyone is use it and encourage businesses to do so as well.
With the festive season here, we will all be hopefully getting home and having some time with family and friends. Sadly, there will be some people who will not have company at Christmastime and will feel very alone. So, if you have a moment why not drop round and see a neighbour if you know they are going to be alone. A few moments of your time could change someone’s day into a happy one.
We should also spend a moment to bear in mind those that are working over Christmas and New Year to ensure we remain safe and secure. There will be large numbers of doctors and nurses, firefighters, police officers and our service personnel who will be working, some a long way from home. Their service is for our benefit and I am sure you will want to join me in thanking them for all they do.
My team and I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and if there is anything we can do to help you feel free to contact me on Edward.mountain.msp@parliament.scot or 07917 556698. I will be monitoring this over the festive period and will be happy to deal with any urgent enquiries.
- Edward Mountain is a Scottish Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands.
