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Ferry Costs


oxna
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On reading an article in The Scotsman today, I was surprised to learn that the Yell ferry service alone costs in excess of £10,000 per day to run!? I am not intending to highlight Yell in particular but in the context of sustainability arguments these figures are truly astounding especially when compared with what must be extremely modest receipts from passenger and vehicle fares.

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Yes Island life is expencive, what is the option, put up fairs. Well thats a good idea! People not only have the cost of fule to get to wark but they have ferry fairs as well.

We could depopulate all the islands, move to lerwick then every 1 could enjoy the high level of services that they enjoy.

Im not having a dig at the origanal poster, not at all.

 

But I wonder if you took the cost of living in each area per head, who would be at the top and at the bottom?

 

Just a thought.

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Guest Lone Wolf

Island life is expensive! Or is it?

 

Yes it's expensive in terms of ferrying people to and from them. But if you calculated the cost to the 'treasuries' solely on that basis then we'd all live in a 60million populated supercity.

Transport links in cities are hugely expensive, look at the cost of the tube trains and the HS2 lines now being put forward. Look at the costs of the road networks. Look at the costs of all the necessary services in cities, that put Lerwicks in the shade. The costs of 'green' areas that are not needed in rural areas. Look at the costs of policing those areas compared to less populated areas. You could go on and on.

 

There is also the costs associated with health and living in cities when compared to rural areas. They're much higher, although direct causal links would be impossible to quantify.

 

Living in Unst, Lerwick, Dumferline or London, They all have their own differing high costs and economies of scale are always likely to favour cities. However, it would not be accurate to highlight just one area of those costs and make a plausible case for it being 'wrong'

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Yes, I think it's fair to say that we all rely on subsidies to a greater or lesser degree and doubtless there would be good arguments to close Shetland down all together. I suppose, however, it's a question of degree and in this difficult financial climate it is inevitable that those receiving the most and contributing least will come under the spotlight. That is a difficult thing to quantify but at the end of the day I would be surprised if any Shetland island community, enjoying a heavily subsidised ferry service, is a net contributer in financial terms. The same doubtless applies to Shetland as a whole or even Scotland but, as I say, it is a question of degree. Oxna.

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Yes, I think it's fair to say that we all rely on subsidies to a greater or lesser degree and doubtless there would be good arguments to close Shetland down all together. I suppose, however, it's a question of degree and in this difficult financial climate it is inevitable that those receiving the most and contributing least will come under the spotlight. That is a difficult thing to quantify but at the end of the day I would be surprised if any Shetland island community, enjoying a heavily subsidised ferry service, is a net contributer in financial terms. The same doubtless applies to Shetland as a whole or even Scotland but, as I say, it is a question of degree. Oxna.

 

Mmhhh! Are these services not why we pay our taxes and council tax. Do you think someone paying taxes in the likes of London doesn't still have the tube or busses subsidised?

 

Shetland makes a large contribution into the central revenue through oil, fishing etc. we are as entitled as anywhere else to see some of this coming back through subsidies etc. that what taxes are for. Maybe we need to fight harder for a fairer share :wink:

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Shetland makes a large contribution into the central revenue through oil, fishing etc. we are as entitled as anywhere else to see some of this coming back through subsidies etc. that what taxes are for. Maybe we need to fight harder for a fairer share :wink:

 

Fair share is correct. I'm sure Shetland contributes far more than it takes due to its natural resources.

I am aware that NHS Shetland receives a comparatively very tight budget for delivery of its services.

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