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Toft Pier


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in reply to Breken ..the best thing that could happen is for the fishing associan or l h d to take over the remote piers in Shetland and make sure the fishermen are properly catered for and the leisure industry.. i for one would pay a small fee to use them in the summer ...perhaps  the L H T Will come to the rescue at a price 

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^ Why not the SIC contract out the operation of all its piers to the best offer - it appears to work for the Foula boat, and for half the cost of what it was when the SIC ran that themselves, so why not work the same apparently successful formula elsewhere, piers, other boats, whatever?

 

The SIC seems just about capable of monitoring uncomplicated low-grade contracts, but largely incapable of much else, so why not let them do what little they might just be able for, and hire in competent operators for the rest.

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^ I seem to have a vague recollection of once upon a time the SIC had (in the case of some of the smaller less used piers at least) some sort of arrangement whereby a local living close to each pier was on a retainer/commission to collect pier dues, and possibly perform other related duties.

 

Whether that system is still in place, but just not working very well, or whether like so much else that the Council used to do on a similar basis, that allowed local communities to gain some small employment/income from the provision of ad hoc local services/facilities, its just been allowed to fade away as the folk who used to do it retired, or replaced with a "flying squad" covering large areas at considerable additional expense.

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For such a saga over a pier used by one fisherman,peter reid an his son just happed to be at toft pier for the first time in 5 years I wound think,there usually lerwick or scalloway pier users. is it not time somebody went to sullom and cleared up the Malakoff boats to gain pier use or even better remove the pollution boats from Christie annies pier which was left to the fishermen             

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  • 2 months later...

Maggie Sandison seems to have no idea how the major contributor to the Shetland economy ie fishing, mussel farming and salmon farming works. If the SIC cant balance their books it isn't the fault of the aquaculture industries .Its more likely because they employ far to many pen pushers like her that sit around all day dreaming up half witted ideas that drain the SIC.s coffers like we are seeing along the esplanade right now.  The fishing industry and all the other spin off jobs that result from it are the wealth creators of this community. And good piers are the life blood of these industries. Maggie should go to work every day wondering how she can build the new Scalloway fish market extend the Collafirth and Whalsay piers build a new pier at MidYell and Ronas Voe aswell as improving the Grutness pier etc. We would all be better off if the millions wasted at the North ness had gone into improving our piers. As some one said earlier on here if the SIC cant get into that mind set they should pass the job over to someone who can. Because without the money that comes from the sea we are finished.

 

 

 

 

 

 

while it is true that shellfish generate prosperity for some looking at the fugures quoted for dues currently being paid at piers in shetland it look like it would take about 200 years to bring in enough from them to cover replacing the toft pier never mind all the other piers used just for shellfish that will require work in that time.

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So let me get this straight magnie ii. We should close down our fishing and aquaculture industries worth the last time I saw figures £504million pounds to the Shetland economy per year not to mention 2600 local jobs that depend on good piers just because of a few thousand pounds of unpaid landing dues. Talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater and knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing.  You should have a job at Sellaness

my comment is exclusively about piers used for shellfish and yes i believe that nobody can expect to get facilities for nothing think what would happen if all the businesses in lerwick stopped paying there rates bills do you think the council would take as little action as they are about this

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Whats at issue here for me is NOT the fact of incomers, Shetlanders can be just as blind to their own problems in the isles as anyone.

The simple issue is that of finance. When working class people say how can the government give BP billions of pounds for infrastructure projects when BP is worth billions of pounds, they tend to miss what the government sees long term. That that investment will create jobs and subcontract jobs not to mention what is created by support industry- So what? Well jobs and business' pay tax of all kinds, long term the government makes more money than was invested by them.

Why the above example? Well if the SIC does not invest in the small to medium fishing industry, those jobs and the support industries behind them vanish. This leads to unemployment so the council then has to pay out housing benefit and council tax benefit, the government has to pay benefits- and also loose any revenue through tax, business rates and any dues paid to the SIC. Everyone looses!

Saying that they won't invest in small piers and infrastructure, because a few boat owners don't pay dues owed, is very counter productive. Surely they could find some way forward. Maybe impound vessels that don't pay dues (would probably be unpopular, but if you don't pay your mortgage or rent you loose your house!) I suppose what I'm saying is there has to be some way forward on both sides. Talk and compromise should ALWAYS come before hostilities.

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The Norwegians offered to invest in Whalsay but the S I C In their great wisdom refused ..could it be that if they dont make millions out of the local fishing industries they are not interested ...too many outsiders who know nothing of the Shetland way of life running the show 

 

Or possibly too many outsiders who know nothing of the S.I.C's way of running the show, in a beneficial manner. Not in any way beneficial to the common man, though.

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All im saying is that piers which are used by many different industries are vital for the on going success of  the wider Shetland economy. Using the fact that a few scallop boats havnt paid their dues for landing at a derelict pier as an excuse for not maintaining an essential part of our islands infrastructure is quite frankly pathetic.

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All im saying is that piers which are used by many different industries are vital for the on going success of  the wider Shetland economy. Using the fact that a few scallop boats havnt paid their dues for landing at a derelict pier as an excuse for not maintaining an essential part of our islands infrastructure is quite frankly pathetic.

yes but surely with the councils funding being cut so much no businesses can expect the council to subsidise them if its not viable to keep schools open and hospital wards surely businesses should pay for the assets they require to trade.  Surely every pier has to be considered on its merits to suggest its a all or nothing situation is unrealistic and no normal business would do this toft pier is used by a couple of shellfish boats and some choose to land at the slip instead of the pier.

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