£5 million for Scotland's island communities

First Minister John Swinney has announced a £5 million package for Scotland’s island communities. 

The funding package will support Island communities to tackle local issues and invest in new opportunities that will help deliver a more prosperous future. This funding reflects the First Minister’s four priorities of eradicating child poverty, growing Scotland’s economy, investing in green energy and infrastructure and improving public services. 

The announcment was due to be delivered in Shetland but the First Minister's flight was diverted back to Edinburgh after it was unable to land at the island's Sumburgh Airport. The First Minister announced:

• a new £1 million scheme to support the six carbon neutral islands to reach net zero by 2040 during a visit to Lerwick Harbour, which plays a pivotal role in Shetland’s green energy transition
• an additional £1 million round of the Island Cost Crisis Emergency Fund to help communities tackle increasing costs, distributed to the six island authorities on a population basis, helping to tackle poverty
• additional £3 million funding to support locally designed critical island infrastructure projects during a visit to COPE Shetland, the Island’s leading centre for community reuse and recycling

Mr Swinney said:

“I have made it clear that I will be First Minister for everyone in Scotland – including our island communities who face a number of unique challenges but have enormous potential.

“Islanders have been clear that more needs to be done to help them fulfil their ambitions and that is why we are developing a new National islands Plan, to be published next year.

“We will listen to island communities, and speak with local authorities to ensure the new plan meets their needs.

“In the meantime we will continue to invest in our Islands Programme, which over the last three financial years, has distributed over £12 million to support of 61 projects on 50 islands.”

Background

• Empowering our island communities - Community empowerment - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• £1 million has been announced for the 2024-25 round of the Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund.
• £3 million has been announced for the 2024-25 round of the Islands Programme.
• £1 million has been announced for a new scheme aimed at supporting closer involvement with island authorities in collaboration with communities on the Scottish Government’s Carbon Neutral Islands project.