ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP

Manifesto for the Orkney Islands Council election

to be held

on Thursday, 4th May, 2017

The Orkney Manifesto Group believes that at any election the electorate should know what they are voting for as well as who they are voting for.

ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP

Published by the Orkney Manifesto Group Sycamore Main Street Kirkwall KW15 1BU

Email: [email protected]

Web site: www.orkneycommunities.co.uk/omg

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Contents Introduction ...... 5 Strategic Considerations ...... 6 Sustainability of island life ...... 6 Economic development ...... 6 Infrastructure ...... 7 Health and social care ...... 8 Community empowerment...... 8 Conservation of the environment ...... 9 Governance ...... 10 Current Financial Picture ...... 11 Council tax ...... 11 Revenue grant ...... 11 Drawdown from reserves ...... 11 Efficiency savings ...... 12 The financial outlook for the council ...... 12 Priorities ...... 14 Economic development ...... 14 Energy policy ...... 14 Social care ...... 14 Community empowerment...... 15 Transport ...... 15 Jobs, Development and the Orkney Economy ...... 16 The building sector ...... 16 Agriculture ...... 17 Fishing and aquaculture ...... 18 Tourism ...... 18 Energy generation ...... 20 Academic research ...... 20 Oil platform decommissioning ...... 21 Housing Our People ...... 22 The challenges for social rented housing… ...... 22 …and a proposed solution ...... 22 The challenges for owner-occupation… ...... 23 …and a proposed solution ...... 23 Private rented housing...... 24 Rural Housing Fund ...... 24 Low cost home ownership ...... 24 Empty homes ...... 24 Care and Repair...... 25 Fuel poverty ...... 25 Conclusions ...... 25 Education and Childcare ...... 26

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Provision of schools ...... 26 Getting it right for every child ...... 26 School transport ...... 27 Childcare ...... 27 Natural play areas ...... 28 Career development with a link to Orkney College...... 28 Apprenticeships...... 28 Social Services - Health and Social Care ...... 29 The demographic challenge ...... 29 Care in the community ...... 29 Integration of health and social care ...... 30 Residential care ...... 31 Self-directed support and the private sector...... 32 Community level integration of services ...... 32 Health services ...... 33 Mental health ...... 34 Voluntary sector ...... 34 Transport Infrastructure ...... 36 Orkney Ferries ...... 36 Loganair ...... 36 Churchill Barriers...... 37 Bus services ...... 38 Energy Policy ...... 39 Local electricity generation...... 39 Community benefit ...... 40 Transmission of electricity to the national grid ...... 41 Local electricity consumption ...... 41 Fuel poverty ...... 42 Marine renewable energy research and development ...... 42 Energy storage ...... 43 Hydrogen...... 43 Energy from waste ...... 43 Development of an Orkney energy company ...... 43 Environmental considerations ...... 44 Carbon footprint ...... 44 Energy strategy for Orkney ...... 44 Planning and the Environment ...... 46 Housing in the countryside ...... 46 Environmental designations ...... 46 Waste management ...... 47 Empowering Communities ...... 48 Communication, Consultation and Engagement...... 49 Governance ...... 50 Broader base of representation...... 50 Political representation on the OIC ...... 50 Local autonomy ...... 50

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Introduction

The Orkney Manifesto Group was founded by three candidates who stood successfully at the OIC election on 3 May, 2012. We registered as a political party in 2013. Our first candidate to be elected under the party banner was at the West Mainland by-election in 2015.

We are independent of all national political parties and unaffiliated to any other organisation.

We recognise that Orkney has a long tradition of independent councillors. However, we believe that the Council benefits from transparent political groups who actively work together for the best outcomes for our islands. We also wholeheartedly support the view that national politics based on national policies often do not translate to meet the particular needs of our islands.

Voters should know what they are voting for, not just who they are voting for. The Orkney Manifesto Group was established to create policies that are informed by and accountable to the voters who live and work in Orkney. We made a commitment, reflected in the very name of our party - that we would produce a Manifesto for Orkney through which voters can decide whether they agree with our stance on major issues. They should be able to judge our performance through an open and transparent debating and voting system - and finally hold us to account when exercising their democratic right at the next election.

Although we are an independent party, our values are liberal and democratic. We believe in social justice, empowerment, and respect for the environment.

We realise there is never enough money to do everything, and priorities must be set. This becomes ever more the case, year on year, and is likely to present significant challenges during the term of the new council, when ongoing austerity from the Tory government in London and the fallout from Brexit will be reflected in reduced funding for local government from Holyrood and the end of grant funding from the European Union.

We need to find ways to avoid real and damaging cuts in services through more efficient management, sharing resources across local agencies and, in some cases, in partnership with other authorities. We may also need to dip into our reserves but in a way that ultimately seeks to maintain the capital value while supporting innovation and economic development. Difficult decisions lie ahead.

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Strategic Considerations

Sustainability of island life

A principal driver for many of our policy positions is concern for the sustainability of life in Orkney in the longer as well as immediate term. Agriculture sustained life here for thousands of years but the pace of transformation arising from technology and lifestyle expectations pose an increasing threat. We saw the depopulation of several islands in the twentieth century, and one or two islands today are in a precarious situation.

This consideration informs much of our thinking on:

 Economic development  Infrastructure  Health and social care  Community empowerment  Conservation of the environment  Governance

Economic development The first plank of any sustainability platform must be economic activity. We cannot depend indefinitely or entirely on funding from Europe, the Scottish government or other agencies. We must focus on bringing prosperity to Orkney through jobs which create exportable value. (Of course, we should continue to exploit every source of grant funding and personal benefit we can identify as well.)

Agriculture is arguably still our mainstay, but diversification of the economy has been progressing for some time into tourism, aquaculture, renewable energy, and other avenues. We welcome initiatives in new fields such as oil platform decommissioning, knowing that we can ensure that environmental safeguards are in place and that we can manage such initiatives in a way that limits any pre-emptive effect on other industries.

The council has an important role as an enabler and facilitator of business, having the power to create an environment in which business can thrive. Orkney is in a unique position to lend assistance to new business ventures. While the decision to leave the European Union is not one that the OMG supported, Brexit may provide opportunities to increase aid to emerging businesses on the islands. We support the current practice of allocating a substantial slice of the budget each year for economic development. We support the close and interactive partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise to encourage the best of entrepreneurial start-ups in Orkney.

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We recognise the value of using local suppliers of goods and services, both within and outside of the public sector. When we buy local, money circulates within our economy. Council procurement must be based on best value which takes account of the impact on the local economy. This is also one of the reasons why the Orkney Manifesto Group has been very active in support of the Kirkwall Business Improvement District. The BID has both an economic and cultural role in sustaining the commercial centre of our capital city.

Infrastructure It is obvious that appropriate infrastructure services are crucial to the economy and sustainability of a community of islands. The provision of these is not within the gift of Orkney Islands Council, but we must lobby at every opportunity to ensure that Orkney gets fair treatment from the Scottish government. We see the priorities as:

 Lifeline transport services  Digital connectivity  National grid connection

Lifeline transport services include sea and air, both inter-island services and connection to the Scottish mainland, and both passengers and freight. Some progress has been made in getting recognition that Orkney should be treated on the same basis as Shetland and the Western Isles. One of the highest priorities is replacement of the Orkney Ferries fleet, which is energy-inefficient, polluting and lacking in adequate crew quarters or proper disability access. Fares and freight costs must be carefully controlled to remain affordable.

Digital connectivity and changes in the workplace are enabling remote working for many people. This is a development which could provide opportunities in our islands. The irony is that it is in the really remote places where connectivity is absent or very poor. We are seeing a digital divide growing between those who have a high bandwidth connection and those who do not. As central government and the health service move more and more to providing services online as their core offering this sets many of us at a serious disadvantage. The need for universal service has long been recognised in other utilities. We must continue to lobby for government to underwrite the cost and sponsor a universal service in digital connectivity whether using broadband or mobile telephony.

Transport and digital connectivity affect every aspect of our lives and economy. The need for a connection to the national grid is relevant primarily to the renewable energy industry - wind, wave and tide. In parallel with activities to secure a high capacity grid connection we should pursue ways of increasing our electricity consumption in Orkney in productive ways to substitute for other energy sources.

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Orkney is an ideal environment for electric vehicles, for example, and we should support any initiative to increase their use. We also support investigation into methods of storage of energy for both export and local use. We recognise that while Orkney produces more electricity than we consume, we continue to pay much higher tariffs than in the rest of the UK. We will continue to lobby government to address this inequality while also exploring the feasibility of setting up an Orkney Energy Company.

Health and social care There is an increasing awareness nationally of the crisis which is starting to unfold in health and social care services, largely as a result of an increasingly older population. We wish families and friends longer and healthier lives. However, many of us do come to be dependent on support. Projections show that compared to the rest of Scotland, Orkney faces the greatest pressures. In the next ten to twenty years it will be a challenge to find enough working-age people to care for the elderly, even if funds are available. This is an existential threat to Orkney.

We have been supportive of the principle of integrating health and social care services. However, the implementation through an Integrated Joint Board was not an appropriate solution for Orkney, introducing, as it did, an extra level of bureaucracy. We will, of course, work within the framework as long as it is in place but we look forward to a time when the arrangement will be reviewed as part of a larger governance overhaul.

Controls to be placed on immigration as part of Brexit are likely to affect Orkney badly too. Sources of health and care workers will be reduced at a time when local recruitment will be increasingly difficult.

We need to attract younger, economically active people to Orkney – one outcome expected of successful economic development.

Community empowerment Empowerment is a principle which the Orkney Manifesto Group has embraced in every context. We believe absolutely in the European Union doctrine of subsidiarity. Every decision should be taken at the lowest level of administration where it makes sense.

We welcomed the Community Empowerment Act passed by the Scottish government in 2015 and support the pilot projects in Stronsay and Papa Westray.

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Community empowerment must mean more than just delegating services which are currently provided from Kirkwall. Community councils must be funded to a level commensurate with the responsibilities placed on them.

We support asset transfer to community groups and would like to see red tape cut to a minimum, within statutory constraints, to make appropriate transfers.

Conservation of the environment There are two strands of conservation relevant to Orkney. The first is our contribution to reducing carbon dioxide production. The second is conservation of Orkney’s own physical environment.

We support the generation of renewable energy in Orkney. While the limitations imposed by the capacity of our connection to the national grid has stalled the proliferation of smaller and community based turbines, the issue of larger wind turbines and wind farms remains a hot topic due to the need to demonstrate demand for transmission capacity prior to any connection. We believe that this is in danger of distorting our local planning process since opposition to applications will undermine the demonstrable demand and risk ongoing curtailment and loss of community payback and benefit. We support the isolation of industrial turbines to a very limited number of areas ie we support small wind farms, rather than a scatter of large turbines across the landscape. We also support the installation of small turbines where the context makes clear that the turbine has an association with the building(s) it serves.

Occasionally it may be necessary to compromise the landscape, as in the case of siting wind turbines and their associated infrastructure. However, we would place a great deal of weight on landscape capacity studies and other environmental impact evaluation. Our belief is that as well as being a world leader in renewable energy, Orkney has an opportunity to be a world leader in the sensitive installation of infrastructure within the landscape.

Apart from valuing bio-diversity for its own sake, we recognise that wildlife in Orkney is a resource valued by the tourism industry and others. The marine environment, especially, must be shared by many interests and it is important that no one of these interests is allowed to dominate to the exclusion of others.

In the latter context, we will resist the designation of large areas of the seas around Orkney as areas of scientific interest to be excluded from any commercial activity, including fishing. Orkney is recognised as having a pristine environment worthy of protection only because we have a track record in protecting our environment. An example of this is the Flotta oil terminal and wider harbour activity such as ship-to- ship transfers. We have demonstrated that we can diversify economic activity in balance with environmental protection.

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Governance As budgets become tighter and efficiencies are sought in order to avoid service cuts, it is clear that we in Orkney have less room for manoeuvre than larger authorities on the mainland of Scotland. The Orkney Islands Council is not in a position, for example, to outsource services without losing jobs from Orkney.

We see it as crucial that a Single Public Authority be instituted for Orkney in order to allow efficiencies of scale in the back-office corporate services such as finance, legal, information technology, property management and human resources. This would involve reorganisation of council, health and other services, and could involve repatriation of services which have been centralised. We should move towards providing back-office services to the third sector, in lieu of funding their own individual back-office services.

A greater degree of autonomy would underpin these changes, none of which is in the gift of the council. However, we can lobby for them and we can prepare for taking on more responsibility by performing to an exceptionally high standard as a council, demonstrating that we are worthy of further trust.

The OMG sees the introduction of local political parties and more transparency as part of the process of maturation of the council, reducing the democratic deficit in preparation for transforming into a Single Public Authority.

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Current Financial Picture

As for any enterprise, Orkney Islands Council finance has both capital and revenue/expense elements. Capital spend is for major projects and acquisition of assets. Revenue income, to cover day-to-day expenses, is from four main sources:

Scottish government revenue grant Council tax Drawdown from strategic reserves Fees for service

Capital projects are financed by Scottish government and European Union grants, supplemented by loans, which are repaid within the revenue/expense account.

Council tax Until this year there had been a Scotland-wide freeze on council tax imposed by the Scottish government. For the 2017-18 budget an increase capped at 3% was allowed. Orkney has a council tax level well below the average for Scotland and the opportunity to apply an increase was welcomed by the council and fully exploited.

Given our low base rate for council tax in Orkney, we support the efforts which have been ongoing to lobby for action to redress the situation to give more flexibility in future years and equity across local authority areas in Scotland.

Revenue grant The Scottish Government has reduced its grant funding contribution to OIC’s revenue budget year on year every year since 2008. This, together with inflation and increased demands on services, means that, compared with nine years ago, we are trying to provide a higher level of service on a budget reduced effectively by several million pounds annually. The budget has been balanced in Orkney mainly through staff reorganisation and other efficiencies and by drawing on our reserves, rather than through significant cuts in service.

Drawdown from reserves The OIC has, for many years, supported local service delivery by using some of the income generated from its Oil Reserve Fund, technically termed its Strategic Reserve Fund, while maintaining the overall value of the fund in real terms. This has allowed the Council to cope with the current shortfall from reduced government grants and the disadvantageous situation we are in compared with Shetland and the Western Isles Councils. With our support, the 2017-18 budget will dip into the fund a little deeper than in previous years, while still maintaining the prudent approach

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP to maintaining the value of the fund in real terms. The buoyant stock market has made this possible. In future years, with stock market and inflationary movements we will monitor the situation and continue to support a prudent approach since this is the only way of ensuring that the fund is sustained for the longer term.

Efficiency savings We supported the establishment of a "Change Programme", staffed by key council officials and guided by elected members, to manage the introduction of changes which will deliver services in a more efficient and cost-effective manner. We have been disappointed by the savings delivered so far, but we recognise that the programme infrastructure is in place, and we expect that more significant returns will start to be delivered early in the term of the new council. We will press for specific, measurable, achievable, repeatable and time-bounded (SMART) changes which demonstrate real cash savings.

The financial outlook for the council The budget for 2017-18 was based on grant funding notified for the single financial year only. The Scottish government has given only indicative information for future years. What is clear is that on current projections the grant will be further reduced.

The OIC budget set for 2017-18 included elements which are structurally unsustainable as a template for future budgets. This included a raid on the loan repayment fund for the second year running, to the tune of £1.2 million and a drawdown on the Strategic Reserve Fund of £7 million, an increase of £3 million over recent years.

At the time of writing this manifesto, we remain hopeful that the Scottish government will provide fairer funding for Orkney Ferries in light of an additional budget allocation from Westminster, thus taking £2 million pressure off our revenue/expense budget. In future years we may also see a small revenue stream from Crown Estate seabed leases and possibly an increase from leases for industrial development, such as oil platform decommissioning.

To that extent, the 2017-18 budget can be regarded as a holding budget. The measures taken avoided swingeing cuts for one more year. However, unless additional revenue does materialise it is likely that Orkney will begin to experience some of the painful service cuts that other authorities have had to introduce. Certainly further savings efficiencies will have to be pursued very hard through the Change Program.

The situation will continue to be exacerbated by increased service pressures due to inflation, population growth and increasing numbers of households – and through

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP further, often unfunded, statutory requirements placed on us by the Scottish government.

In an increasingly austere environment, in the last resort, we will seek to increase council tax to avoid service cuts, especially cuts to social care and to education. Any increase would seek to bring us no more than in line with the Scottish average for council tax.

We will continue to advocate a prudent, sustainable approach to the Strategic Reserve Fund in order to preserve its real-time value for future generations. We do not support what would amount to raiding the piggy bank of future generations, making them less able than we are to maintain funding of services.

We will continue to push for equitable funding from the Scottish government to reflect the shared economic challenges faced equally across the island groups.

It is unclear how the UK government will undertake the role previously occupied by the European Union in supporting rural areas. Orkney has a role to play in identifying the UK priorities for funding post Brexit

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Priorities

Orkney, along with the rest of the country, faces a difficult and uncertain future, clouded by Brexit and financial austerity. The possibility of Scottish independence adds further complexity to the picture.

Orkney needs a council which is capable of taking a long view and is consistent in its decision-making, always holding true to the ultimate objective of sustainability of our island life for the longer term. We will need steady hands to steer us through the treacherous waters ahead.

We believe that the following issues are priorities for the council during the forthcoming five-year term and beyond:

Economic development Economic development is essential to our long-term survival. The age profile of our island population is of very serious concern. We have too few young people to support an increasing number of older folk, both economically and in social care. We need to look for opportunities and facilitate business developments which will bring young people into Orkney, always taking care that conflicts are minimised. For example, conservation of the environment is an economic necessity, as well as a matter of preserving biodiversity for its own sake. We believe that telecommunications services should be universal in terms of bandwidth and tariff in order to support business and provide equality of access to government and council digital services.

Energy policy Energy policy is a complex area with many ramifications. Having the highest level of fuel poverty in Scotland gives us a special interest in lowering the cost of energy, especially electricity tariffs. Research and development of renewable energy technology continues to offer enviable opportunities for Orkney. However, the landscape impact of energy production and export must be carefully managed. We must do what we can to secure community benefit from these initiatives too.

Social care A further consequence of our population profile is the increasing difficulty we are already experiencing in providing adequate care for the vulnerable and the elderly. Financing these services is part of the problem, but recruiting staff is also an issue. Bringing younger people into Orkney is just part of a solution. As a council we need to identify ways in which we can support families and communities, so that together we can find solutions to the challenges we share in providing care. With an emphasis

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP being placed on care in the community, housing is increasingly important as part of the care infrastructure.

Community empowerment “Increasing community capacity” is the jargon used to refer to savings initiatives which depend on communities taking responsibility. We believe that decisions should be taken at the lowest level of government where they make sense. This translates into Scottish devolution, greater autonomy for Orkney and greater empowerment of communities through community councils, development trusts and otherwise. We believe that appropriate funding should be provided, council buildings surplus to requirement transferred and community councils given more active support.

Transport Sustainability of the Orkney economy and social structure depends on an appropriate transport infrastructure. As for so many services, affordable, frequent ferry links for freight and passengers are not entirely in the gift of the council. However, we must maintain pressure on the Scottish government to give us fair treatment with respect to Shetland and the Western Isles. Replacement of our aging ferry fleet is now urgent in order to reduce pollution, allow easy disabled access and improve crew quarters. Diseconomies of scale mean that we will always need to subsidise our bus services. However, we can explore creative ways to work with our community partners to find the best solutions for those who depend on public services.

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Jobs, Development and the Orkney Economy

The economic uncertainty which is reflected in the OIC financial outlook affects the broader economy as well.

Economic uncertainty is exacerbated by the projected withdrawal of the UK from the European Union. The EU provides grant funding to rural areas such as Orkney and we have been a beneficiary of Leader funding and the Common Agricultural Policy. It is unclear to what extent the UK and Scottish governments will introduce programmes to replace those currently provided by the EU.

We believe that the council has a very significant role to play in stimulating the local economy. The business development function of the OIC must continue to receive adequate funding, but it also needs to be closely scrutinised to ensure that funds are used effectively and produce results. The council can also stimulate the local economy through the construction sector via its own capital projects. Capital funding is also constrained, however, and we always need to take account of the interactions between the capital and revenue budgets i.e. what we build will require ongoing revenue for running costs and staffing, as well as loan repayments.

The council has an obligation to facilitate and stimulate economic activity and job creation. Although there are important exceptions, it should not generally be a function of the OIC to directly manage commercial activities.

We can play a vital role in supporting entrepreneurial activities - for which Orkney has an enviable track record.

The need for supporting economic development should be taken into account when prioritising spending, especially when it reinforces other council objectives.

The building sector One of the key sectors in stimulating the economy is construction. We will take every opportunity to maximise the involvement of local firms in public building contracts. While recognising that some projects are of a scale beyond the resources of local companies, the option of local sub-contracting should always be supported when feasible. We will actively seek to support concerns from local businesses where procurement policies discriminate against local firms. More should be done to assist local firms in gaining access to the tendering process by offering training. We hope that a positive outcome of Brexit will be greater freedom to use local suppliers.

The OMG supported the council measures to facilitate the new Balfour Hospital project. This project will provide a welcome boost to the building sector. We are

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP delighted that the opportunistic development of a link road between Holm Branch and New Scapa Road has been enabled. We will support similar infrastructure initiatives in future.

The role of the construction industry in Orkney’s economy is intertwined with housing policy, which is driven by multiple social factors. These are discussed later in the manifesto.

The OMG acknowledges the strong tradition of self-build here in Orkney and the desire of many to be homeowners. We recognise that for many folk getting on the first rung of the ownership ladder can be difficult, if not impossible, and we fully support any low cost home-ownership initiatives.

We also recognise the importance of home repairs, insulation and maintenance. Repair by local builders is an opportunity, especially given the state of our housing stock. We would support initiatives to encourage local labour to do this kind of work in the isles.

We will continue to press for the provision of housing sites, both serviced and unserviced, by the Council, especially outwith Kirkwall, to assist our first time buyers to achieve their aspirations and to ensure the future sustainability of our isles and rural parishes.

In light of the pressures facing home and community care, we will also support a more flexible approach to planning applications that seek to support families who wish to live close to parents

Agriculture Farming is arguably still the mainstay of the Orkney economy. The impact of Brexit on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) provisions cannot be underestimated. Any complacency that this risks undermining only the farming community is misplaced. The knock-on effects to wider Orkney businesses, suppliers, hauliers, the mart and abattoir, veterinary services, our construction industry and in turn the entire Orkney economy, could be devastating and irreversible.

The working of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 will not be fully clear until associated regulations have been issued. The introduction of a community right to buy for sustainable development may have significance for Orkney. Changes to tenancy regulation will also have an impact, as will the obligation to disclose land ownership. We need to maintain a watching brief to ensure that local implementation is as benign as possible.

Long-term resolution of the abattoir situation is crucial to the local farming community and while the short-term community solution is a pragmatic option, a

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP longer-term sustainable model is required. The stakeholders, including farmers and butchers are responsible for their own business needs, but they will need management support from OIC business development and others.

Fishing and aquaculture A series of dilemmas which the council will face more and more in the future lies in resolving conflicts of interest between various users of the sea and the seabed. Marine Spatial Planning is beginning to address this by mapping out areas where particular activities will be supported or proscribed. The recent award for the Marine Spatial Plan created in partnership with Highland Council and Marine Scotland, demonstrates the importance and value that the council places on this economic area.

Salmon farming and traditional methods of harvesting seafood are two activities which will frequently compete for the same resources – tidal channels where there is a fast current. Both activities are major contributors to the Orkney economy and both must be supported. Salmon farming has the potential to grow substantially in Orkney waters if planning permission is granted for new developments.

Our priority is to support sustainable traditional fin fishing, scallop diving and lobster catching. We particularly see the value in protecting the fragile non- renewable maerl beds which provide a hatchery for crustaceans and shellfish. The salmon farming industry is becoming increasingly sophisticated in limiting the damage caused by excess food over-enriching and damaging the seabed environment. However, we believe that very careful environmental assessment is required before granting new permissions, especially in areas where there are maerl beds.

Tourism Tourism is a vital sector of the Orkney economy, projected to attract more than 140,000 cruise ship visitors in the 2017 season. The number of independent visitors is harder to quantify but was estimated at 173,000 in 2015 by the industry. Tourism was estimated in 2013 to contribute more than £30million per annum to the Orkney economy, over and above the harbour dues paid to the Harbour Authority. That figure will have increased substantially since then.

While it is not appropriate for the council to have direct involvement in most of the commercial activities around tourism, it can actively promote and support our tourism sector in a variety of ways. These include providing best-in-class harbour services, supporting cultural and heritage activities, recognising our thriving arts and crafts businesses and facilitating our world-renowned food and drink industries. We should also channel resources into making Orkney an even more

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP attractive experience for visitors, as well as for ourselves. We support maintenance of the core paths network. We will continue to support the Kirkwall Townscape Heritage Initiative.

Although there are concerns about the impact of volume tourism on Orkney, we believe that with effective management Orkney can sustainably support the current level of tourism and accommodate some additional growth, particularly by extending the tourist season. To enable this we believe that a strategic management plan should be developed for tourism in Orkney. All stakeholder groups must be involved, including VisitOrkney, Orkney Tourism Group, Historic Environment Scotland. Orkney Food and Drink, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, transport providers etc, etc.

Adequate provision of toilets is an important part of the infrastructure to support volume tourism. We have pushed for a comprehensive review of this provision within the strategic management plan. We will continue to argue for a facility at Hatston for tourist buses to dispose of waste from on-board toilets.

The Neolithic Orkney UNESCO World Heritage Site in the West Mainland is one of only six World Heritage sites in Scotland. Sites designated are considered to be of ‘outstanding value to humanity’ and ‘belong to all the peoples of the world’. They are ‘irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration’ (http://whc.unesco.org/en/about/).

The status of the World Heritage Site, covering Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar and the Standing Stones of Stenness , together with the media coverage of the more recent excavations at the Ness of Brodgar, have given world-wide recognition to the importance of the neolithic archaeology of Orkney - an honour and a responsibility for us all.

For the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come to Orkney specifically because of the status of the World Heritage Site we believe that we should be working with our partners to develop an interpretation centre in the West Mainland which befits this world stage and one which reflects the wider historical and natural context of Orkney as a whole. We would seek to ensure that any such facility would be developed with the long term and wider needs of the islands in mind i.e. that it would provide better management of the current visitor numbers to both enhance their experience and to address community concerns around the infrastructure required to allow local activity and visitors to co-exist during the summer months.

The council should strive for a more forceful voice in representing the tourism industry when it comes to contracts for ferry provision and timetables for crossings, security arrangements at Highland and Islands Airports (HIAL), discussions with the Scottish government on the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) and the prohibitive costs of flights to the islands for both visitors and locals alike.

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The tourism industry is constantly looking for ways to expand the season beyond the short summer period. The council should be ready and willing to support projects to encourage ‘winter’ visitors – and perhaps even initiate some.

Orkney continues to expand its tourism sector but we cannot be complacent when considering policies that impact growth of this sector of the economy either in the short or long term. For example, consideration must be given to the proliferation of wind turbines, which are increasingly drawing negative feedback as we become known as the ‘islands of windmills’. While we recognise the importance of renewable energy to the economy as a whole and to the sustainability of local businesses, there is a balance to be struck and a compromise to be found between these competing demands.

There is a tourism dimension to very many of the decisions the council has to make – and we believe we should be alert to this and take it fully into account.

To increase the financial benefit of tourism to Orkney and to introduce a natural brake on numbers we would wish to investigate the feasibility of introducing a tourist tax. We would also want to see the council take a more aggressive approach to setting the level of harbour dues for cruise liners.

Energy generation Electricity generation based on industrial and domestic-scale turbines has contributed to the Orkney economy for some years, as has research into marine renewable energy technologies.

Orkney has a plentiful natural energy resource. Exploiting it, however, is constrained, primarily by the lack of a high capacity transmission cable between Orkney and the Scottish mainland. We discuss this issue more fully below in the context of an integrated energy policy for Orkney.

Academic research We supported the OIC decision to develop a research campus in Stromness, based on the old Stromness Academy and the old Stromness Primary School buildings.

We welcome the positive response of institutions such as Heriot-Watt to the creation of this facility.

We see opportunities for development of island- and rural-appropriate technologies in Orkney, going well beyond the current research activity in marine renewables.

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The Stromness initiative sits well with established academic specialisms in archaeology and Nordic studies at the Orkney College campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands in Kirkwall.

Oil platform decommissioning We see the current commercial discussions regarding oil platform decommissioning at Lyness as a huge opportunity for Orkney.

We have consistently advocated an approach which avoids any development having the effect of pre-empting other activities at Lyness, especially marine renewable energy developments. We understand that the company concerned does not require exclusive use of the harbour or the hinterland.

We also have a concern that there should be very rigorous safeguards against environmental pollution. We have been reassured in this respect also, given the operating methodology which the company will follow and the external monitoring of licences required.

We will monitor this development to ensure that our concerns continue to be addressed.

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Housing Our People

Every community requires its citizens to be properly accommodated if wellbeing is to be achieved. We believe that "every citizen in Orkney should have access to a warm, dry, affordable home which is suited to their needs and which is, wherever possible, in a location of their choice."1

Regrettably there are still many, often the most vulnerable within our community, occupying houses in poor or insanitary conditions. It is a matter of shame that Orkney has the highest level of fuel poverty in the United Kingdom (63% of households, rising to even higher levels among our older citizens as at 2016).

The challenges for social rented housing… Waiting lists for Council and Housing Association properties remain stubbornly high despite the best efforts of these organisations to provide new housing year-on-year. The Manifesto Group supports the continuing provision of new-build housing throughout Orkney to meet identified need. However, one major concern is the rising level of rent being charged by the council. The council rents now stand among the highest in Scotland and, with a 25% premium being added to some new-build properties to reflect higher provision costs, they are verging on becoming unaffordable. This, combined with the cap on Housing Benefit payments, will serve to put social housing beyond the reach of the poorest and most needy applicants.

…and a proposed solution We need to continue to press the Scottish Government to increase subsidies on new- build housing, recognising the much higher build costs in rural areas - within the islands especially - and to argue for parity between the subsidy paid to registered housing associations and local authorities. At present councils receive considerably less grant.

The council has to borrow to fund its new-build housing programme and the cost of this borrowing is borne solely by its housing tenants. This means a considerable proportion of their rent is applied to servicing debt. This is not sustainable, and unless ways can be found to inject money into these programmes, the council new- build programme will end.

Some years ago the council considered the transfer of its entire housing stock to Orkney Housing Association, believing they were better placed to raise finance for new investment. Some councils did transfer their stock, for example, Glasgow and the Western Isles. In both instances their residual housing debts were cleared by the

1 Orkney Islands Council: Housing Services Asset Management Strategy 2014-19

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP government: £1,000m for Glasgow and £44m for the Western Isles. Orkney had effectively paid off its housing debts so no support was offered.

Given we have a population of only 21,000 it is time reconsider whether we need two distinct social housing providers or whether on grounds of efficiency and economy we should consider a merger. Naturally such a move would require wide- ranging consultation but we feel the time is right to consider this matter.

The effect would be to attract the higher rate of subsidy enjoyed by housing associations. We would expect the government to cancel our existing debt of over £15 million.

The challenges for owner-occupation… Owner-occupation is far and away the largest tenure sector within Orkney, comprising 75% of our 11,000+ housing stock. This is the choice of tenure for the majority, but gaining a foothold on the ownership ladder is proving difficult, if not impossible, for many. The OMG fully supports all low-cost home ownership initiatives and especially Shared Ownership and Open Market Shared Equity.

One major area of concern for this sector is the very significant level of serious disrepair, which means that a significant number of households are in housing which falls well below an acceptable modern-day standard. The effective abolition of Improvement and Repair Grants in 2006 has served to compound problems with some owner-occupiers, who simply are unable to fund essential repairs.

We acknowledge the support of the Care and Repair Service in delivering the Scheme of Assistance, support for those with a disability who need adaptations to their home, and also the Small Repair Grants but these are no substitute for the former grant regime.

…and a proposed solution While the council does offer housing loans at competitive rates for the building or repair of houses to those unable to secure loans from banks or building societies (for example pensioners in receipt of pension credit), they are not well advertised and many are simply unaware that this source of help exists.

We believe that the council needs to establish, initially as a pilot, its own Improvement and Repair Grant Scheme, utilising the Strategic Reserve Fund, to offer combinations of grants and loan facilities for essential home improvements. This work would benefit the local economy since it would largely be undertaken by locally-based builders and it would genuinely enable the social care objective of changing the balance of care from residential towards domiciliary.

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Poor housing leads to ill-health and poorly designed housing leads to falls and bed- blocking in our hospitals. We need to ensure that Orkney's housing stock is suitable for our most needy residents to be cared for at home for as long as possible.

It is proposed that the pilot be restricted, in the first instance, to our island communities to see what impact it has upon housing conditions. It could, thereafter, be rolled out more widely.

Private rented housing Some 10% of Orkney's housing is privately rented and its condition ranges from excellent to poor. It is a hugely important sector and while we generally welcome changes in the private sector tenancy regime, designed to offer tenants greater security, we also recognise that landlords need continued access to good support and advice. It is important that this form of tenure remains available throughout Orkney but equally important that it provides housing of an acceptable standard in terms of fitness and design.

Rural Housing Fund We welcome the Rural Housing Fund initiative introduced by the Scottish Government, whereby money for new housing development is provided to private sector individuals and bodies. In Orkney some development trusts, notably in the isles, are actively pursuing this initiative and this is to be welcomed.

Low cost home ownership Figures suggest that four out of five people in Scotland aspire to home ownership. Orkney has a tremendous tradition of self-build and we strongly support the continued provision of affordable serviced and unserviced sites. We also support the roll-out of other home ownership initiatives, especially in the smaller parishes. These promise to play a significant role in future sustainability.

Empty homes The Scottish Government has recently provided money to enable the Council to engage, albeit on a part-time basis, an Empty Homes Officer for a temporary period and the aim will be to reduce the number of empty homes throughout Orkney, currently standing at more than 400. If these homes could be brought back into use, at reasonable cost, this would be a much more effective use of resources, both land and money, than simply building new ones. We do recognise this initiative may have limited impact and understand there will be a target of between 20 and 40 homes a year brought back into occupation.

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Care and Repair This project, established in 1988 and currently managed by Orkney Housing Association Limited, provides invaluable support to homeowners by organising essential repairs and improvements and co-ordinating the works. It is imperative this service continues to receive support from the local authority and its partner agencies since its role will become even more important as demand for services, created by an ageing community, continues to increase.

Fuel poverty As mentioned elsewhere, fuel poverty is a problem which can be addressed on a number of fronts. As far as housing is concerned, adequate insulation and appropriate heating systems can play an important part in reducing fuel costs. The council and its partner agencies have done well in rolling out programmes like HEEPS-ABS (Home Energy Efficiency Programmes – Area Based Schemes) assisting people to insulate their homes or upgrade their heating.

If we in Orkney were not subject to rules more suited to urban environments, but were trusted to spend grant allocations in a way which suited our local circumstances, we might eradicate fuel poverty sooner than the current 2032 target date.

Conclusions Housing remains a key priority for the Orkney Manifesto Group because of its central role in wellbeing and sustainability. Fuel poverty remains unacceptably high and leads to ill-health and misery. We very much support initiatives such as the THAW (Tackling Household Affordable Warmth) project, designed to help people achieve warmer homes and we support the continued provision of Area-Based Schemes under the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes.

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Education and Childcare

Provision of schools Provision of schools in Orkney is in good shape, particularly in Stromness, Evie and Kirkwall, with the completion of the iconic Stromness Primary School and the superb Kirkwall Grammar School, incorporating a first class Arts Theatre.

We believe all of our children deserve to be taught in the best facilities possible and we recognise the central role of schools in rural communities. We were happy to support the replacement of the Evie Primary School, which had inherent design problems, with a new state of the art facility. We will support the upgrade or replacement of Dounby School and have continued to press for the replacement of doors to allow disability access for both students and members of the community. We also support the substantial extension proposed for St Andrews Primary School.

The physical buildings in which we teach our students are important, but even more so is access to a broad curriculum. It is vital to ensure that each of our young folk can pursue a chosen career that best reflects their skills, abilities and interests. While we recognise that student numbers have an impact on subject choice, since having fewer students in a secondary school means diseconomies of scale, we have to be more flexible in how we share resources across schools. It is simply not good enough to provide the physical buildings and yet place limitations on the choices that our young people can make. This can have far-reaching consequences for the rest of their lives.

Getting it right for every child GIRFEC is the Scottish government’s initiative “Getting it right for every child”. We are fully committed to the principle of providing appropriate learning support for every child at the right time. However, we are sceptical of some key elements of the development of the policy, in particular the Named Person service and the overly- ready resort to childcare in an institutional setting at a very young age. These approaches may have value in Scotland’s large cities, but in general we feel they are not appropriate to Orkney. We accept that we must fulfil our statutory duties in this context but we will try to ameliorate the implementation of GIRFEC as much as possible to adapt it to what works best in Orkney.

We are certainly committed to making it possible for every child to develop to his or her full potential and that includes those with learning difficulties as much as the gifted. In this context we regret the poorly managed proposal to restructure the service provided by the Language Unit at Papdale Primary School. This was a budget cut, the implications of which were not sufficiently highlighted to council members to ensure their full understanding of the impact. We will argue for the Language Unit

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP to be reinstated if we remain unconvinced that the new outreach arrangements provide an equally effective and positive service.

School transport School transport is an annually evolving service with new children starting school and others moving on. While there is no current guidance on maximum times that children spend on school transport, it is a significant concern when children are spending more than two hours per day travelling to and from school. We would support a review of the school bus routes, with family consultation, to ensure that as far as possible, children are not losing valuable homework and family time.

We have supported a Stromness Parent Council initiative to assess the impact of poor broadband in the West Mainland on students who inevitably rely on internet for homework, study and research. We hope that this will inform ongoing discussions with the government on equity of internet access not only in terms of speed but also in terms of tariff.

Childcare Many working parents with pre-school children struggle on a daily basis to find child-minders or to find the money to pay for child care. From August 2014, the Scottish Government introduced provision for up to 600 hours per year (around 16 hours per week) for 3- and 4-year-olds and also for cared-for 2-year-olds or those whose parents are in receipt of certain benefits. (Entitlements were updated again in August 2015). The Government has also made a commitment to increase this provision to 1140 hours per year by 2020 and is trialling delivery models this year. This will support equal opportunity and benefit the local economy while giving children from less advantaged families a strong start in life. The council will need to explore local models to meet the increased demand as well as the requirement of flexible hours to address individual family circumstances. This will inevitably create challenges owing to economies of scale and our inability to share resources with neighbouring authorities.

While we fully support this policy, we believe that a child’s best start in life is within a supportive and nurturing home environment. Therefore this policy should not be implemented in isolation, but should be supplemented as necessary with additional support to parents who are struggling to adapt to bringing up a new family and to cope with the impact on family relationships. Orkney is fortunate in having organisations such as Home Start who rely on volunteers to provide this much- needed support.

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Natural play areas The OMG understands the crucial importance that play has in a child's development. Following successful consultation with children and parents, the Council provided funding for the development of a natural play area at Summerdale Drive in Kirkwall utilising local materials such as Orkney stone, interspersed with tree and wildflower planting designed to create a setting for physical exploration and natural play. Importantly, it offers children and young people an alternative to technology and the virtual world of video games. A place for children to exercise and create and a place for parents to meet and socialise.

We continue to support, in partnership with local communities, the development of similar facilities, in particular at Evie School and Dounby School.

Career development with a link to Orkney College The Council and local NHS are Orkney's two largest employers and are well placed to provide employment opportunities for local students. A "grow our own" professionals scheme linked to Orkney College and distance learning facilities encourages more young people to pursue a career in the islands and, in the longer term, reduces the need for expensive recruitment campaigns in the South.

With the challenges we face in light of Brexit, authorities across Scotland are concerned about attracting a workforce to meet the pressures arising from an aging population, combined with the need to address statutory childcare legislation. The competing need for carers is drawing from the same pool of people i.e. predominantly women. We need to create a career structure that recognises and values the vital role that they play in keeping our economy growing as well as encouraging men to see this as a valuable lifelong career.

Apprenticeships The Council and NHS Orkney have an opportunity to create apprenticeship roles to support our young folk to move from school to employment. The UK Government recognises this pathway and from April 6th 2017, all employers in the UK with an annual salary bill of more the £3 million will pay an apprenticeship levy and in turn can apply for funding for local apprenticeships to support skills, training and employment. In Scotland this will be managed by Skills Development Scotland and supported by the Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board. Importantly, local small and medium businesses will be allowed to access apprenticeship funding to develop and expand their businesses.

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Social Services - Health and Social Care

The demographic challenge We have highlighted already the serious demographic challenge which Orkney faces. With predictions that by 2030 the UK working age population will rise by just 3% compared with a rise of 33% for the over 65’s, the pressures are clear. More than in any other area of the country, our age profile is becoming skewed towards the elderly. This will place a burden on our health and social care services which it will be very difficult to meet, either in terms of cost or staff recruitment.

Structural change will be needed to meet the challenge. Initiatives such as care in the community and integration of health and social care are intended to introduce service improvements. However, where service levels are genuinely maintained or enhanced these changes could incur an increase in costs, especially in the case of care in the community. Further change will be required to improve cost- effectiveness.

Even though there may be a greater reliance on family and community volunteers to provide care in future we will also need to attract increasing numbers of both young men and women into a career in care. The value of the caring professions and voluntary care must be actively promoted in all social contexts, starting with our schools.

It will be important also to address these pressures from a wider council perspective, for example in the context of housing and planning. As an employer we need to set an example of flexible working that releases staff for time to care.

Care in the community “Care in the community” really just means providing care for the elderly at home, rather than in an institutional setting such as a care home, hospital or nursing home. Most of us would prefer to stay at home to be cared for rather than be uprooted in our twilight years. However, from the point of view of the service provider it is more expensive to operate in this way – if done properly. One of the ways in which costs can be reduced is by making it easier to share the workload of our professional carers with help from family and community volunteers.

Although this looks like a win-win there are a few caveats and risks worth mentioning.

The quality of care service in a client’s own home is more likely to be variable and needs to be monitored carefully. The absence of a formal context may make it easier for the service to be gradually pared down as a matter of policy. We would hate to see care in the community degenerate into neglect in the community. We need to be

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP vigilant against this. Examples have already been experienced, such as reductions in visit times and a dependence on frozen rather than freshly cooked meals. We need to take cognizance of special needs, for example those who need to be helped to feed very slowly.

A serious quality problem can arise when there is poor continuity of service providers at a client’s home, either due to staff turnover or scheduling problems caused by staff shortages. This is exacerbated when various specialists visit the home for very short periods each day to provide their restricted element of the total service: personal care, housework, preparing meals and feeding, befriending etc. There is a strong case for removing some specialism and having a closer carer-client relationship. Whether this is feasible is another matter.

In any case we will need to find new, innovative ways of continuing to develop care in the community, involving families, community groups and the voluntary sector in order to share the workload with our professionals.

The model of a Community Care Hub is, we feel, worth supporting. In Dounby, for example, Smiddybrae provides for both residential as well as day care, so that continuity of social contact is maintained should residential care be required. The home sits on the same site as the GP surgery. There is sufficient space nearby on land that the council owns to create extended supported accommodation which is within easy walking distance of the pharmacy, local Co-op, church and school. Home care teams based within this unit, with autonomous authority to manage the visits within their area, would be better placed to assess the weekly changing needs of their clients, adapt visiting times as a result and address the needs for continuity of relationships across both home, day and residential care. A community of residents and professionals across all ages.

Finally, and very importantly, the fundamental change from residential care to care in the community will require a housing stock which is fit for purpose, energy- efficient and designed to prevent falls. Orkney is particularly deficient in this respect. Our housing policy must address this.

We may need to invest further in extra care housing schemes like Eunson Kloss, Kirkwall and Kalisgarth, Westray.

We need to be sympathetic, also, to planning applications that seek to provide annexed accommodation for those intending to care for their elderly relatives.

Integration of health and social care Orkney led the way in integrated health and social care in Scotland through Orkney Health and Care (OHAC) established in 2012. The Scottish Government’s legislation on Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 is now a reality with the

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP setting up of an Integrated Joint Board for Orkney with OIC and NHS representation. The name, “Orkney Health and Care” has been retained

We are committed to making the Integrated Joint Board (IJB) work for Orkney. The OMG was successful in securing one of the three local authority places on the board at its inception. Three further members are Scottish government appointees drawn from among NHS Orkney non-executive board members.

The main rationale for integration is to provide a seamless and effective experience for people who use the services. However, when combined with the increasing drive towards care in the community, there is also a cost-effectiveness benefit.

We welcome the involvement of the voluntary sector and service users at a strategic level on the Integration Joint Board to ensure that facilities and policies take into account the needs of all members of our community.

The wider implication for local governance of hybridising the NHS and local authorities is unclear. Whether this initiative takes us closer to a Single Public Authority in Orkney or further away remains to be seen. The OMG is hoping it will prove to be the former. With talk of Regional Health Boards through the amalgamation of existing smaller ones, it seems obvious in order to ensure continued democratic accountability for service delivery, that the Council be accorded this lead role.

Residential care The move towards providing care at home will take some pressure off the need for increasing care home provision. However, because of the demographics and the lack of a nursing home facility in Orkney there will still be a need for residential care for increasing numbers of highly-dependent elderly folk.

The project to enhance care home provision in Kirkwall has been through a number of twists and turns. The OMG supported the option of refurbishment of St Rognvald House when it appeared that this would be an extremely cost-effective solution. When logistical complexities in this approach emerged, adding considerably to the cost, we felt that the compromises involved in foregoing the building of a new fit- for-purpose facility were no longer justified. We look forward to the building of a new care home at Soulisquoy.

We supported the project to replace St Peter’s House in Stromness and are delighted it is in progress.

For the future, as part of the general drive to contain the cost of social care, ways need to be found to manage our care homes more cost-effectively without reducing the quality of service.

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As with schools, the physical buildings are only one aspect of how we care for our elderly. The need to support our current staff and attract a skilled and compassionate workforce is vital if we are to provide the level and standard of care that we would wish.

As a contingency measure we believe it may be necessary to mothball St Rognvald House when the replacement facility is opened at Soulisquoy. We would not wish to prolong the life of St Rognvald House but it may be required to provide emergency capacity.

Finally, we would like to see the roll-out of digital connectivity to our new and existing residential care homes. Elderly residents can be assisted to communicate with friends and relatives and should not be ignored in the technological revolution. The digital roll-out should be undertaken in our extra care housing as well.

Self-directed support and the private sector Self-directed support is intended to give greater choice to those who need care.

In Orkney the council has traditionally been the major provider of care services and there has been only a very small private sector.

Self-directed support is now stimulating growth in private sector care in Orkney. This is threatening the cost-effectiveness of some of the council services since we still have to maintain the existing infrastructure for a much smaller client base.

There is also a concern about monitoring private sector provision.

Community level integration of services Building on the shift towards care in the community and developing it further, we would like to see health and social care integration structured at an island and parish community level. We expect this to involve creating facilities that can be shared across agencies, organisations and community groups. We would support investment in technology to take into account the geographical constraints faced by island communities.

Health and wellbeing is not just about symptoms, but also about causes. Prevention is better than cure. Often social needs around poor housing, accessibility and transport, debt etc. can be at the root of ill health, either physical or mental. We would support giving communities a greater role in providing services locally, particularly at weekends. This could encourage greater involvement across generations to increase quality social contact for both our youth, elders and more

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP vulnerable members of our community while alleviating some of the factors that lead to social and emotional isolation.

We all like our weekends to be a time to look forward to, to share with family and friends, to relax. We want all members of our community to enjoy that opportunity. We would explore the potential of using council-owned day-care facilities with support from the voluntary sector to provide services seven days a week.

This might take the form of Health and Social Care Hubs located alongside GP surgeries, where people can access not only GP services but, where appropriate, they may be triaged directly to allied health professionals, housing support, home care or Citizens’ Advice. This, in turn, might alleviate the pressures facing General Practice and facilitate access to the specialist care provided by nurses, allied health professionals and social care services.

Taking this concept a step further, a number of communities across Orkney have seen an increase in local funds due to the community benefit of wind power. What if each community had the opportunity to see a direct link between energy creation and the revenue required to support people in a local care facility or within their own homes? What if that energy could be used to provide affordable warmth and higher standards of insulation so that people could afford to stay in their own homes and communities for longer?

Health services Planning for a new hospital in Kirkwall is well advanced. It has been sized on the assumption that discharges of the elderly will not be delayed by the unavailability of places in social care when required. This puts a major responsibility on the social care sector to ramp up capacity, especially since Orkney has had no nursing home facility since the closure of East Bank Hospital.

Our GP services are facing increasing pressures due to the predicted retirement rate of current practitioners combined with the drop in medical graduates choosing General Practice as a career. This is being exacerbated by the increased demands of an aging population, and for Orkney, by the perennial problem of attracting professionals to work here.

The way that we have historically provided health and social care needs to change to make today’s level of service sustainable and, further, to extend the service to seven days a week coverage. Health and social care needs do not recognise days of the week and it is long overdue that we respond to this.

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Mental health One in four of us will experience mental ill health during our lifetime and one in three families will be affected. Nine out of ten of us who experience this will encounter prejudice and stigma. While local services are doing their utmost to meet the needs of individuals, families and communities, we need to think more widely as a community about the factors that contribute to mental wellbeing such as employment, housing, lifelong learning, access to social networks and living in a safe, stable and supportive environment.

The stigma surrounding mental health is changing but we need to ensure that people who have experienced a loss of mental wellbeing are included in consultations and engagement so that their expertise and knowledge is shared.

We would support greater involvement of businesses and employers in Orkney taking a leading role in encouraging people with mental health challenges to speak openly about the difficulties they face and to proactively address any obstacles that stand in the way of them gaining the short or long term support they need. As the largest employer in Orkney, the council can lead by example.

Young people’s mental health has been brought into the spotlight recently by the work of our Youth Parliament and this has to be applauded. The pressures facing our young people, not least from the misuse of social media, is immense. The work of organisations in Orkney such as the Youth Café, Relationship Scotland, the Blide Trust, YPeople and Women’s Aid is vital.

Voluntary sector The voluntary sector already plays a very large part in care in the community. A notable example is the Befriending Service, which seeks to address loneliness and isolation, which often lead to ill health.

The role of the voluntary sector is likely to increase significantly in providing care in the community.

We place tremendous value upon the outstanding contribution made to Orkney's wellbeing by its army of volunteers and the huge array of organisations which continue to deliver services, often to our most vulnerable citizens. The Third Sector has come under increasing financial pressure as the cost of service delivery increases.

In recognition of the valuable role that the voluntary services play within the community, the OMG supported an amendment to the council’s 2017-18 budget to apply an uplift in council funding of 1% as in previous years.

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Further reductions in welfare support will only serve to increase pressure on individuals and families and give rise to additional needs.

We recognise the importance of the Orkney Community Planning Partnership in providing a framework for working with the voluntary sector to improve the delivery of social services. We supported the streamlining and redefining of our local Community Planning Partnership in order to ensure that there is focus on priorities.

We will advocate continued Council support for the voluntary sector.

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Transport Infrastructure

Orkney is one of only a handful of local authorities which has responsibility for air and sea services in addition to ground transport. This includes passenger and freight services, and the airfields and harbours to support them. There is also a responsibility for public bus services and supporting community provision. Many of these are lifeline services, crucial for day-to-day support of island life. Freight, work, health and social care, tourism and leisure all depend on these links.

Needs assessment work has recently been undertaken with the Highlands and Islands Regional Transport Partnership (HITRANS) to inform the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) in relation to the future of internal air and ferry services for Orkney.

We will continue to hold the Government to account on a decade of underfunding for our internal ferry and air services, which in turn has placed unacceptable pressures on our budget each year to the tune of almost £3M.

We also seek equality for Orkney regarding Road Equivalent Tariffs (RET).We recognise the particular need to keep freight charges as low as possible since these charges are passed on to the consumer and are regressive in their impact.

Orkney Ferries The Orkney Ferries fleet is aging and needs significant investment to ensure the long-term sustainability of our outer islands. Without this investment, we face ongoing, higher operating costs, poor environmental performance and unacceptable restrictions and accommodation for passengers who live with disabilities.

While we accept that the service will always rely on long-term subsidy, it is imperative that we maintain control locally to ensure that the schedules reflect the communities’ needs and that opportunities to station vessels in the North Isles are promoted to provide both local employment as well as commuting to the Mainland.

However, we cannot address the needs of our internal ferries in isolation as any assessment of our transportation infrastructure must recognise the integrated role of sea and air.

Loganair As regular attendees of the Air Service Users Group, we have shared in the growing frustration at the lack of punctuality and reliability of air services to the islands in recent years. The impact that this level of services has on business, residents and visitors has been highlighted. However, we are optimistic that the recent changes to

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP the franchise agreement will allow Loganair to put in place services that are better able to reflect and respond to the economic and social needs of the islands.

We recognise the importance of the internal Loganair service to the North Isles. Although the subsidy costs the OIC about £1 million per year, we believe that the current balance is about right.

Churchill Barriers The Churchill Barriers represent a complex challenge, with three interlinked but competing interests:

 As a lifeline transport link  As the locus for a potential renewable energy project  As a heritage asset

The Barriers provide a daily link to Kirkwall and the rest of the Mainland for residents of the south isles parishes, as well as for freight and passengers using the Pentland Ferries service from St Margaret’s Hope to Gills Bay.

Wave overtopping of the second Barrier during adverse wind and tide conditions has posed a risk to vehicles and passengers for many years. The council has invested in a number of studies to try to find a way of mitigating the risk. There is debate as to whether the wave wall or the caisson, more recently installed as an experimental measure, have had any beneficial effect.

The problem is that the studies conducted have shown that any effective solution will be very expensive, certainly beyond the means of the council, without dipping into reserves in a way which would breach the current policy of prudence and sustainability of the fund. That is why some have seen the possibility of a tidal energy project as a way of getting private enterprise to subsidise an overtopping solution.

We are sceptical of the tidal project idea, although we feel that the possibility should not be ruled out. Initiatives from the energy industry should continue to be entertained in parallel with other routes to a solution. We are aware, for example, that the energy potentially available from the first Barrier is very much more than from the second.

Our position is that any solution to the problem should be based on hydrography and sound engineering, rather than guesswork and experimentation. Having identified a preferred solution, we should look for funding from all available sources. Unfortunately the most likely source, the European Union, will shortly be closed to us.

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In the meantime we must ensure that the Barriers are managed operationally in a safe manner. We have to acknowledge the inconvenience of closures but they are necessary and should be respected. Any further improvements to the warning arrangements would, of course, be supported.

Finally, we come to the question of the Barriers as a heritage asset. They are internationally important historical structures that we have a responsibility to protect for future generations. Barriers three and four were recently listed by Historic Environment Scotland in Category A. Barriers one and two were excluded because they are currently subject to potential development by an energy company. It is doubtful that listing will have any practical significance, but we do need to ensure that options for modification to Barrier two are not restricted.

Bus services Before setting out our stance on local bus services, it is important to understand the economies of scale which apply. The only commercially viable bus route in Orkney is the one between Kirkwall and Stromness. The distributed pattern of rural settlement otherwise limits demand and constrains what is viable by way of service provision.

The history of the West Mainland Octobus provides an example of a service which was simply not financially viable. Even with a council subsidy and an innovative approach to service provision the Octobus could not be justified.

The absence of a comprehensive public transport network, combined with patterns of rural housing scattered across the countryside, often up long tracks or far from village settlements, means that many folk have come to rely on cars as their only practical and timely transport option. Any public bus service would struggle to meet the needs of individuals in terms of frequency.

However, with the growth of rural businesses and an increase in home working, the need for local bus services remains. An opportunity for demand-led, shared transport provision with our health and care colleagues as well the third sector needs support. However, any solution will require commitment for some considerable time to support changes in behaviour and our reliance on cars.

There is a need for accessible and reliable public transport which reduces carbon emissions. Services should be trialled, including further exploration of green energy solutions, with the correctly sized vehicle for the job and with clear publicity directed to potential users.

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Energy Policy

There are many ramifications to energy policy in Orkney. Currently there is no council strategic plan which joins all of the dots. We would see development of a comprehensive strategy as a high priority for the new council. The major strands which we recognise are:

 Local electricity generation  Community benefit  Electricity transmission to the national grid  Local electricity consumption  Fuel poverty  Marine renewable research and development  Energy storage  Hydrogen  Development of an Orkney energy company  Energy generation from waste  Environmental considerations  Carbon footprint

Local electricity generation Large- and small-scale wind turbines have contributed to our energy mix in Orkney for some years. We now generate more electricity than we consume. However, it is not true that we meet 100% of our energy needs. Generation is never exactly matched to consumption. We import electricity from the national grid at peak consumption times, especially if there is a lull in the wind. Excess electricity is exported to the national grid to a limited extent. At other times generation has to be curtailed because we are generating too much.

The issues already raised by our turbines are:

 Who benefits from our electricity generation?  Can we address fuel poverty using locally generated electricity?  How can we reduce curtailment?  How can we export more electricity?  Can we store energy?  How can we substitute electricity for other sources of energy such as oil?  Why do we have to pay a high tariff for electricity generated locally?  What about the landscape impact?

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We would like to see broad consensus on answers to all of these questions. If favourable answers can be found then we support the continued development of onshore wind energy as part of a mix of technologies.

We also support research and development, moving into production, of marine renewable energy from tide and wave, to the extent that the technologies prove viable. Energy generation from waste should also be in the mix in the longer term.

Community benefit The question of who benefits from wind turbine development is a vexed one.

Ownership of large-scale turbines is spread across private commercial concerns, community groups and the council. We support any initiative to derive community benefit from private installations. There are various statutory constraints on what is possible.

When electricity generation exceeds demand, there is an automatic system to curtail generation. This works on a last in, first out basis, so that turbines which historically joined the network last are always curtailed first. This means that the communities which were early to invest in turbines have a big advantage over those which came late to the game.

We would argue for a fairer algorithm but it is a difficult issue since it affects the business case and profitability of various community installations.

Orkney now produces more electricity than it consumes. Yet, not only do we struggle to benefit from that energy creation, due to the structure of the UK transmission grid we pay more to buy back that electricity than the rest of the UK.

If the Orkney countryside and seabed have to accommodate the infrastructure involved in power generation we feel it is right that the Orkney community should benefit as well.

The Council should, as far as it can, derive an economic and social dividend from developments in green energy. There are many ways that this may be possible, from local energy transformation and storage, to setting up an energy company, to investment in a grid connection. We are wary of direct Council involvement in commercial enterprise - but this may have to be a pragmatic exception. We would support a model that seeks to address fuel poverty whilst also generating income that can be used to improve the energy efficiency of housing across our islands.

We consider it a disgrace that Orkney is an area of high fuel poverty amidst a plentiful supply of natural energy. If necessary, we would lobby for changes to the energy regulation regime to permit Orkney to benefit from its own natural

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP resources. However, the feasibility of setting up a local electricity supply company with local tariffs should be investigated first.

Transmission of electricity to the national grid The solution to curtailment and the potential to generate more electricity would be to export more electricity to the national grid. This is not possible due to the low capacity of Orkney’s link to the national grid, which is engineered for distribution of electricity to Orkney rather than for a reverse transmission.

The lack of a cable transmission connection to mainland Scotland is now having an impact on all renewable energy generation on the islands, with curtailment undermining community benefit and creating inequality between communities on both the Mainland and our outer isles. It is also raising questions about the future of marine renewable energy production in Orkney.

Regulation of electricity generation, transmission and distribution is very complex. There is a requirement that transmission demand for a cable be established and demonstrated prior to any installation being approved. This is producing pressure to artificially stimulate generating capacity and will distort our planning priorities in a way that is not experienced by our Scottish mainland colleagues.

We would encourage those wishing greater detail on this issue to visit the Orkney Renewable Energy Forum website where the collective response can be found: http://www.oref.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/20170131-OREF-Response- to-Island-Wind-CfD-Consultation-FINAL.pdf

Local electricity consumption Consumption of electricity is currently insufficient to utilise all that is potentially available locally during peak generation periods.

In parallel with pursuing the development of a transmission connection to the national grid, it makes sense to find ways of increasing consumption locally by substituting for other sources of energy such as oil, gas, petrol and diesel.

There are two caveats to this. With the high tariffs set under the current regulation regime, electricity may not yet be cost-effective as a substitute. There is also an issue that with wind as the only source of local renewable energy, the supply is unreliable and subject to fluctuation so that over-dependence would require importation of more electricity from the national grid during lulls in the wind.

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A major avenue for substitution is the introduction of electric vehicles, which are ideally suited to our constrained geography. We are already seeing electric cars in Orkney and an infrastructure of charging points is being developed by the council. We support this initiative. Subsidising the cost of running electric cars may be appropriate for some time.

Further introduction of electric buses should also be pursued.

Fuel poverty Fuel poverty is defined by the percentage of household income spent on energy requirements. The level of fuel poverty in Orkney is the highest in the UK. There are three relevant factors:

 Low incomes  Poor home insulation  High electricity tariffs

We would wish to attack this issue on all fronts. The high electricity tariffs levied in Orkney are an insult, given the volume of electricity we generate. The most promising solution would be the creation of an Orkney energy company which would be able to set its own tariffs.

Marine renewable energy research and development Orkney has been at the forefront of marine renewable energy research and development, with significant local, national and international investment in our infrastructure and local expertise.

Wave and tidal energy are still in their infancy, however, and there is an unrealistic expectation from government and investors that they should be demonstrating returns more quickly than their wind counterpart has done. Orkney has perhaps a greater marine energy resources than anywhere else in the UK, but without UK and Scottish government support. Orkney is at risk of going from world leader in the field of marine renewable energy to being left behind in the race to harness this immense resource.

The future of production of marine energy in Orkney is dependent on establishing a high capacity grid connection.

The future of renewable energy lies in a mix of technologies in order to smooth out the peaks and troughs of individual sources. Tidal power at least has the virtue of predictability - more so than solar, wind or wave-generated electricity.

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We support the continuing development of marine energy in Orkney and have given our backing to initiatives to facilitate this. The proposed campus in Stromness is an example.

Energy storage A further option for absorbing excess electricity and bringing supply and demand into alignment is the development of storage capabilities. This is an ongoing area of research and development in which Orkney has a close interest.

It may be some time before any technology becomes cost-effective for large scale production.

We should monitor progress and exploit any opportunities which arise.

Hydrogen Production of hydrogen by the electrolysis of water is in effect a storage technology. The council is already supporting a pilot to produce hydrogen in Eday using power from the community wind turbine. Hydrogen will be bottled on site and exported to Kirkwall, where it will be used to power the harbour.

The use of hydrogen to power a ferry is also being investigated.

These are maturing technologies which we believe that the council should continue to pursue.

Energy from waste The development of a comprehensive waste management strategy should include the feasibility of generating heat energy from waste. This is a mature technology which has been exploited by other local authorities.

Development of an Orkney energy company The regulation environment for electricity would permit the setting up of an Orkney energy company able to set its own tariffs.

The council is already investigating the feasibility of this option. We believe that the new council should support this activity as a high priority.

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Environmental considerations The OMG’s policy on wind turbines remains consistent. We support the presumption in favour of small turbines when these are clearly associated with a house or installation to which they are supplying power.

Areas of search for development of larger turbines need to be defined to restrict commercial-scale wind turbines to a limited number of areas in order to avoid the proliferation of these across the Orkney landscape. Clearly these will have to avoid designated conservation areas and areas of special scientific interest. Landscape impact assessments will also need to be considered.

As far as marine renewables are concerned, conflicts with conservation interests and other uses of the seabed, water column and navigation channels need to be managed carefully. Effective marine spatial planning will address this.

An issue which is now becoming more fully understood is the potential visual impact of the electricity transmission network needed on the Mainland to connect substations into a national grid cable. It will be prohibitively expensive to develop this network entirely underground and undersea. A hybrid design solution is required which is sensitive to the landscape and the natural environment. This is an issue we will monitor carefully.

Carbon footprint Generation of electricity from renewable source and the substitution for non- renewable fuels will reduce Orkney’s carbon footprint. The carbon footprint from manufacturing, transporting, maintaining, decommissioning and recycling or disposing of renewable energy infrastructure should be a transparent aspect of any installation. Green transport, including cars, buses and ferries has been discussed above.

A comprehensive energy strategy should include other measures to reduce our carbon footprint.

Energy strategy for Orkney Developing a strategy covering all of the above elements should be a high priority for the next council.

It will be crucial to create a fully inclusive forum to inform this initiative. Representation will be valued from across the renewable energy sector, the council, THAW (Tackling Household Affordable Warmth, businesses, community groups and the public to ensure that both generation and end use of energy in Orkney is approached in a coordinated way. There is a danger that without joined-up thinking

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP between generation, transmission, distribution, supply and demand, that opportunities to maximise the benefits of our resources may be missed.

We recognise the tremendous expertise which exists within Orkney, for example among the members of the Orkney Renewable Energy Forum (OREF). We will continue to tap into their specialist knowledge in discussing future policy initiatives and welcome their manifesto contributions.

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Planning and the Environment

We value Orkney’s physical heritage but also recognise the right of individuals to develop their properties within the limits of planning regulations.

Recent changes to planning regulations announced by the Scottish Government are to be welcomed insofar as they remove the restrictions on many minor house alterations which would previously have been subject to planning permission. The less restrictive approach to house building in the countryside, where former derelict sites are now available, is also welcome.

However, we are not in favour of a free-for-all approach to planning whether it is for housing, wind turbines, or commercial and public buildings. As is required by statute, each application must be treated on its own merits within the current Local Development Plan and relevant Supplementary Guidance.

We will seek to conserve the environment and traditional means of exploiting the environment as much as possible. However, we recognise that Orkney must sustain a population with twenty-first century lifestyle expectations and sometimes compromise is required to enable economic development. We will not lose sight of the value of the unspoilt environment as an economic resource in its own right.

Housing in the countryside Our current view is that, generally, housing development in the countryside should be predominantly in existing settlement areas. However, we recognise that Orkney has a long tradition of scattered housing development, and we favour the current one-for-one replacement policy. We believe there should not be a free-for-all, in terms of location or design, and that any new housing must be in keeping with the Orkney landscape. However, we would not support an overly-prescriptive approach.

With the increasing pressure on home care due to our aging population, combined with the challenges which Brexit presents in relation to our available workforce, we recognise the need to support a flexible approach to house building and extensions that will allow families to care for their elderly relatives. As the main employer in Orkney, we need to combine this approach with modelling a more flexible approach to employment that ‘releases time to care’ for those wishing and able to support their loved ones.

Environmental designations Most environmental designations are outside of the control of the Council or even the Scottish Government but originate with the European Union. There include areas of Special Scientific Interest and Special Protection Areas. These designations

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ORKNEY MANIFESTO GROUP can place severe restrictions on development. They are defined purely on scientific grounds and do not take into account social and economic impact.

Because of the rich diversity of Orkney’s terrestrial and maritime flora and fauna and the largely unspoilt landscape, with heritage sites of world status, there are already extensive designations in place covering Orkney, and new draft designations in the pipeline. We respect the value of these designations in protecting our environment and our heritage. However, we will lobby against designations which do not appear to have a proper scientific basis or which are so restrictive as to hamstring Orkney’s economic development.

Waste management The OMG sees waste management as an important environmental issue in our consumer society. The national move from incineration and landfill dumping of waste has our enthusiastic support. Recycling of waste materials not only brings in revenue to the council – it is ethically the right thing to do. We would like to see much more of it.

The facility at Chingliebraes in St Ola originally provided an incinerator to replace the smouldering heap of rubbish on the shore of the Peedie Sea. The incinerator has long been defunct, unable to meet the capacity of waste we generate. Our waste is now shipped to Shetland at great cost to be incinerated there. Chingliebraes still processes our waste, including the sorting of recyclates but it is woefully unfit for purpose.

The time has come to develop a comprehensive, forward-looking strategy for waste management which maximises the revenue from recyclates, minimises the residue for incineration and has the potential for energy generation. We would support the redevelopment of Chingliebraes to meet the highest possible standards for processing recyclates - consistent with the economies of scale we can achieve.

In the immediate term we would explore partnership opportunities between Zero Waste Scotland and the council recycling centres. This could create a stream of reusable items beyond the category of recyclate material and contribute to increased recycling performance.

Education is a crucial aspect of improving recycling performance and we support activities in schools and on the doorstep to promote positive recycling behaviour.

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Empowering Communities

The Orkney Manifesto Group welcomed the enactment of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act (2015). The provisions of the act are very much aligned to the OMG value of empowerment of individuals and communities.

We would like to see much stronger Community Councils, with wider powers and greater responsibilities. This should not just be a matter of hiving off tasks for the local communities to provide for themselves, but true accountability for the shape of services. For this to work there must be community control over an appropriate budget and the right to set priorities locally for spending on projects and services.

The outcomes from a project established by the OIC as a three-year pilot in Papa Westray and Stronsay, to test the feasibility of providing council services locally rather than from Kirkwall, are now being reviewed. We support expanding this approach not only to other island communities, but also believe that much can be translated to mainland communities. We believe that providing services in this manner, working closely with Community Councils, will deliver a range of benefits such as increased employment in island communities and local services which are more accessible and more efficient.

The OMG very much welcomes the decentralisation of services by both national and local government and wholeheartedly supports the empowerment of local communities throughout Orkney by ensuring as short a distance as possible between service provider and service user.

An essential piece of infrastructure to support services in the community is the development of high-quality video-conferencing facilities, especially on each of the outer isles. Ideally, shared facilities could be introduced for the use of NHS and OIC staff, voluntary groups, Orkney College, and the streaming of events such as the National Theatre productions at the Pickaquoy Centre. This is part of the bigger picture of universal telecommunication service provision as a basic utility.

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Communication, Consultation and Engagement

Communication is arguably one of the most important issues. The Council must ensure it addresses misconceptions and seeks to engage more effectively with the public it exists to serve.

The Orkney Manifesto Group was set up with transparency, openness and accountability at its heart. This manifesto seeks to provide voters with detailed information on the stance that OMG candidates would take as elected members on the major issues facing Orkney. We expect the electorate to hold us to account on these issues during our term in office.

Openness needs to be promoted more. We will continue to pursue full video-casting of Council meetings, with an archive maintained for anyone to view at their leisure, anywhere in Orkney. We will also pursue recorded voting so that the electorate is aware of how their individual representatives are casting their votes. This manifesto will provide an additional opportunity for the electorate to scrutinise the voting record of the OMG to ensure that we have met our commitments.

A further threat to openness is the use of seminars and “in committee” meetings, held without public scrutiny. While recognising the statutory cover for these activities and the need to keep commercial and personal information out of the public domain, we will be vigilant in ensuring that there is no abuse.

The use of internal Briefing Notes is both a threat to openness and an opportunity. We would welcome classification of these documents in such a way as to enable many of them to be released to the public domain.

Regrettably the council is often seen in a negative light. The public too seldom hears of the good work of the majority of staff and members. We need to find ways to make School Place and what functions are carried out there more visible. Audio- and video-casting, recorded votes and public briefings can only support this aim.

At a time when it has never been easier, the Council is losing an opportunity to put its case across proactively, and in real-time to correct misconceptions as they appear. It is crucial to good governance to uphold the reputation of the Council and its workforce - its greatest asset.

OMG members were instrumental in setting up a Communications Member Officer Working Group during the term of the outgoing council and we were well represented on it. We will argue for the continuation of this short-term group.

The council is rightly very diligent in consulting with and engaging the public. We would like to foster greater participation, especially from community councils.

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Governance

Broader base of representation The role of a councillor is becoming a full-time job. More than 75% of candidates standing at the last full Council election were either retired or self-employed. It would be desirable to broaden the base of representation by making it affordable for potential candidates to give up their employment to take on a full-time job as a councillor. Unfortunately this is not in the gift of the council.

We particularly need to address the serious under-representation of women on the Council. Research suggests that boards of management function optimally when there is equal representation of men and women. We need our council to be representative of the community it seeks to serve and in so doing give confidence that it reflects fully the priorities and concerns of all residents. We will actively encourage more women and young people to stand for council and will address any barriers that prevent them from doing so.

Political representation on the OIC The Orkney Manifesto Group was conceived in order to stimulate the politicisation of the OIC, which historically has been a council of independents. Such a process can only happen if it is initiated by political parties - whether new or established - and ultimately sanctioned by the electorate. It cannot be initiated by the OIC itself.

The OMG believes that on grounds of accountability, legitimacy, transparency, quality and diversity, party-based representation would offer more robust democratic governance than does the current council of independents.

With the promise of the “Our Islands Our Future” campaign to secure greater autonomy for Orkney, the issue of strengthening local democracy has taken on even greater importance.

The case for politics in the Council is made in our paper “Democracy in an apolitical council” at www.orkneycommunities.co.uk/omg/index.asp?pageid=593803

Local autonomy The UK has one of the weakest systems of local government in Europe. The OMG affirms its support for subsidiarity, the principle that decisions should always be made at the lowest level where it is sensible to make them. There should be more empowerment of local authorities – and indeed of community councils as well.

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The OMG values Orkney’s membership of the European Union, the United Kingdom and Scotland. We support subsidiarity in devolution to Holyrood. However, we would not want to see any measures taken which would have an adverse impact on the economy or wellbeing of Orkney,.

We have seen actively centralising governments in Scotland since the Scottish parliament was set up. This has been combined with a practice of legislating to solve central belt problems - but applying one-size-fits-all solutions to rural areas such as Orkney as well. We have seen adverse consequences of a number of these initiatives: the national police force, welfare reform, self-directed social care, centralisation of the Children’s Panel etc. The “island proofing” which is permitted in principle within Scottish legislation has hardly ever been used.

The somewhat opportunistic “Our Islands Our Future” campaign initiated by the three Scottish island local authorities is an attempt to redress this problem. It has the wholehearted support of the OMG.

Apart from devolution issues, IndyRef2 and Brexit, several other constitutional issues are on the agenda:

 CoSLA – the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities  Single Public Authority  Commission on Strengthening Local Democracy

It remains very unclear what outcomes are likely, especially since all of these issues are interrelated and to some extent in conflict with one another. The Orkney Manifesto Group has a clear position on the outcomes it would like to see emerge. Our vision includes:

 increased Scottish autonomy within a continuing UK  increased autonomy for Orkney within Scotland  a new independent body to advise the Scottish Government on local authority funding  constitutional guarantees of the rights of local authorities  an elected Single Public Authority delivering all public services in Orkney  review of the role of CoSLA

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In writing this manifesto, we have drawn on our combined experience over the past 5 years from attending community council meetings, parent council meetings, stands at the County and West Mainland shows, attending specialist forums covering digital communications, transport and renewable energy, AGMs to constituent queries, representations and public meetings. We welcome invitations from all forums and individuals who wish to contribute and inform our policies.

______Published by Orkney Manifesto Group, Sycamore, Main Street, Kirkwall, KW15 1BU [email protected] Registered as a political party with the Electoral Commission since 12 March, 2013 Web site www.orkneycommunities.co/omg

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