An election hand grenade
The election campaign has really been as dull as ditchwater, with the two principal candidates rivalling each other in driving tedium to a new low.
So it's good to be able to report something that is hugely important, and which might enliven the campaign for at least a few minutes.
A client has received a worrying letter from the Government, which they believe will adversely affect the Western Isles. I think they are right, but because they don't want to go public, I will.
The new ADS cards come with these friendly words of warning:
As my client rightly points out, just who is to police and enforce this scheme, and just what is a "business component"?"The Scottish Government has announced that business-related travel will not be reimbursed under the scheme. Business-related claims are considered and journey where there is a business component, regardless of whether there is also a leisure-related component." (My emphasis)
My good lady and I left the island on Saturday, both carrying laptops. We weren't away for work purposes, but will do some work whilst we were away; after stepping off the third plane. Does that disqualify me; as the first journey was the only one that qualified for ADS, and I did not do any work between flight 1 and 2?
If I take a business phone call in Glasgow Airport after stepping off the Stornoway flight, does that disqualify me? Do I have to turn myself in to the ADS Police?
If I take a business phone call in Stornoway Airport between checking in for an Edinburgh flight, for a client who has heard I'm coming to Edinburgh and wants to see me, do I have to go back and confess all to the FlyBe desk, and ask them to surcharge me?
Is this going to be a civil or criminal matter? How do I appeal against a wrong decision?
My guesses: they'll look for a regular pattern of travel and the civil servants will then stop the card until you persuade them they are wrong, through some undefined and yet to be worked out method.
And who will be the easy first targets? Step forward the offshore workers travelling every fortnight to Aberdeen, regular as clockwork. You might as well hand the ADS cards back now.
But let's not forget the purpose of ADS, as it's website proudly and clearly announces:
- The primary objective is to facilitate greater social inclusion in the most peripheral areas of the Highland and Islands through affordable access to air services to the main economic areas administrative centres of Scotland.
- Other important benefits are potential improvements in capacity and frequency and greater economic growth as a result of improvements in accessibility.
It is all about the Government saving a few pounds here and there, and paying lip service to a policy that it doesn't want to implement properly.
As my client further points out, this might even be illegal, as the Western Isles has a higher percentage of female small business owners than the rest of the Scotland, and a statutory equality impact assessment should have been carried out before the policy was sneaked out.
Can I encourage everyone to think how they might be affected, and then to demand that both leading candidates pledge to reverse this move. They might also want to know why our former MSP has never done anything to stop this massive economic damage to the islands.
The Government can spend huge sums issuing the Census in Gaelic, and celebrating this fact, whilst bringing in policies that will further undermine the viability of the Gaelic speaking areas.
18 comments:
http://www.hebrides-news.com/air-discount-ban-30311.html
Looks like Crichton has already pledged to reverse this draconian decision, but it comes as no surprise that Allan has yet again failed to protect the Islands interests in favour of toeing the SNP line. Come to think of it, I seem to remember him attempting to rubbish "The Labour ADS" as inadequate before the last election, and promisind a much better system! I will now get my own back by not voting for you this time Dr. Allan.
It's clear to me that the people designing this have never run a business in their lives.
I run two small businesses on the islands, employing my family and two other staff. I travel back and forth to the mainland a couple of times a month - the ADS discount is the difference between profit and loss some days.
My business is charged on time, so ferries wouldn't work for me.
Every single entrepreneur I know gets work phone calls, all the time. Even my holidays end up having a 'work component'. On that basis, I won't ever qualify for a legitimate ADS trip.
I see Donald Crichton has seen this and is blaming the SNP. Will Alasdair Allen be brave enough to take this up?
I really like this one Angus boy is it a cock up.
Only good thing of course is in the due tradition of sleaze our future MSP will be able to commence the fiddle of claiming a business and spending a discount.
Along of course with every other scam they will be taught on arrival at the gin palace.
Get Real
It may say no business but who the hell could possibly police this.
Anyone who works for mainland based companies should not be able to use the discount cards to carry out business on the mainland. All profits from mainland based companies leave the Islands so why should they benefit from the discount scheme. The only reason that they are up here in the first place is to screw us and walk away.
You may be interested to know that CnES staff undertaking business trips to the mainland were also instructed to provide personal details of the ADS scheme to the agency dealing with staff travel bookings, to enable the Comhairle to benefit from the discount. Is this now an offence? A corporate offence? Employees complicit with the CnES in defrauding the state?
Let us not lose sight of what the ADS scheme is supposed to do for "residents" of the Western Isles! It was warmly welcomed by most people when introduced and it redressed an existing weakness of peripherality of areas like the isles and made access to to and from major population densities much better. This encompassed the all embracing dynamics of daily life in an island community and it was meant to allow the local economy to have a level playing field - it was for the first time more "inclusive" to use a well worn political phrase which partially removed some of the competitive disadvantage one expects from having an island location. These recent remarks raise serious questions about the future of the scheme and its viability!
From the ADS guidelines it says;
" Purpose of the Scheme
To fulfill the Scottish Government's commitment to deliver lower air fares for residents of Scotland's most peripheral communities travelling to and from Scotland's key population centers and/or between airports within the peripheral areas."
The fact that they are island residents would imply that some might very well be involved in business. Surely the government should aim to create the conditions to create a fair trade marketplace throughout Scotland and if the current government are now changing this, then the answer to this is to vote for a parliament who will look after the interests of the island community by ensuring it is universally available for all residents as has been the case. Once you start to differentiate between community groups such as business v residents only or councillors v health board, then it has effectively failed in its most fundamental purpose, This will compound the economic difficulties for our community which is not what good government should be about!
So when I go off the Island to meet a potential client which may make the difference between me employing another person who lives on the Island or not, the SNP are now telling me that this will cost me more??!!
So what is AA doing about this? or does he not think anyone will notice?
I have to say that this is the most tedious exchange on here for a long time.
Simples
It was introduced for residents of the islands to relieve some of the extortionally high charges for flights off the island.
The fact that this has been abused by some businesses does not make their actions right.
This, what if I take a business call while in the airport is a desperate attempt to drum up an argument where none existed.
It was never meant for businesses. I have refused my employers request for me to use my card details - if they want me to fly they can pay full whack - if not I'll take the ferry.
If you have a business that is dependent on the ADS for travel I suggest you re budget your travel allowances, because you have obviously erred in judgement.
Saying that it might make the difference between employing someone else is no argument at all.
If you refused to pay your taxes would that allow you to emplo a couple of extra folk?
Get a grip.
ADS is an excellent idea for the private sector.
Any businesses found guilty of exploiting their employees and using their cards for business purposes, and I most definately include the Comhairle in this, should refund all that they have pilfered.
Is it true that a prominent SNP activist is suing a local childrens charity?
Agreed. A very tedious thread. You're been
pedantic.
Yes, 8.07 - and they kick kittens around at their branch meetings too.
Grow up.
@9.59 What are you on about? You say 'ADS is an excellent idea for the private sector'. That's who we are all talking about! And the scheme was set up to benefit island businesses - someone in an earlier post provied that.
There are hundreds of small businesses on these islands who depend on getting to the mainland by plane to access extra customers we can't find here.
We can't 'look at our travel budget again' - where do you think our travel budget comes from? It comes from our (very small) profits!
Less profit = less money coming into the islands.
We are electricians, accountants, joiners, management consultants, builders, surveyors, self-employed offshore workers, plumbers, actors, musicians - you name it, we fly away to do it. And someone pays us for it. And they don't pay our expenses, they pay us to do a piece of work.
If we pay more to the airlines, we have less money to bring home to the islands. ADS made it possible for us to compete on an even footing with mainland firms - now that's being taken away.
We are going to suffer because the Comhairle and the Health Board have used the scheme for staff travel. I don't blame them - what did the Scottish Government think they were going to do?
How about a solution here? Anyone flying on work business as an employee of a public sector organisation isn't eligible. Sorted. And simples.
You have got it completely wrong 9.15! it was set up for the benefit of all islanders. You are obviously sitting in a cushy number where you clearly have no idea of the real world of the island economy. Your remarks are quite offensive, so stop the sneering! The council and health board have as a matter of course been paying full fares for their employees and for patient travel for many years. There's plenty stories about people going for a mainland hospital visit who can't make use of their ads in that situation, despite being able to travel for a cheaper fare and helping to ease the pressure on the health board's budget in the process. To introduce these new measures against the many self-employeed and local businesses is a very serious situation. A campaign should be started immediately to fend this off, otherwise watch this space for more local companies going to the wall in the next few months. What the hell are the politicains doing about it? Well, I hope you all grill the new kids on the block over this in the coming weeks!
You have got it completely wrong 9.59! it was set up for the benefit of all islanders. You are obviously sitting in a cushy number where you clearly have no idea of the real world of the island economy. Your remarks are quite offensive, so stop the sneering! The council and health board have as a matter of course been paying full fares for their employees and for patient travel for many years. There's plenty stories about people going for a mainland hospital visit who can't make use of their ads in that situation, despite being able to travel for a cheaper fare and helping to ease the pressure on the health board's budget in the process. To introduce these new measures against the many self-employeed and local businesses is a very serious situation. A campaign should be started immediately to fend this off, otherwise watch this space for more local companies going to the wall in the next few months. What the hell are the politicains doing about it? Well, I hope you all grill the new kids on the block over this in the coming weeks!
ADS wouldn't be needed if Flybe didn't charge such extortionate prices, and I presume (maybe I am wrong) that the subsidy from the gov simply goes into Flybe's own back pocket. £173 for a flight next weeek from Glasgow. Another hundred quid and you could afford go across the Atlantic.
A consortium of local business owners and investors could possibly set up their own airline and get rid of the fleecing rabble. Even if they couldn't offer flights at easyjet and Ryainair prices they could easily operate at a profit at a much reduced price. And offer charted flights to fly tourists direct to the western isles from countries in Europe for example.
You all have it wrong, it was set up for anyone in the highlands and islands, including mainland.
If I was a mainland company thinking of employing an island based person, who although perhaps has work to do on the mainland, brings a family and money back to the local economy, I would be thinking twice now. This 40% addition in travel is a potential deal breaker.
Also, as has already been pointed out, who is going to police this. If you only travel for business then take your chance with the card, what's the worst that can happen, they take your card away, no loss.
If this is enforced we will be lucky to have 2 flights per week leaving these islands, nobody will be using them, they will find alternative means of communication...are the council not putting videoconferencing into that new ground floor refurb anyway!
7:17 Correct.
If I was a prospective candidate right now I'd be promising an investigation into Flybe's pricing. Only 8 people on the flight from Inverness, only full fare tickets available, £117.63 for a single! Where are the cheap tickets on that flight!
It is a monopoly with a government subsidy, they need to realise that someone will (and should) hold them to account on their pricing structure if they start to (continue to) take the mick out the system.
The ADS is a great system thanks to Labour, however it's purpose is to benefit and help sustain the population and businesses in the Highland & Islands not to increase Flybe's profits.
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