A campaign to devolve more powers to the Northern and Western Isles with the aim of unlocking economic prosperity has been given a boost.
Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael said he regarded long-running proposals to devolve responsibility of the Crown Estate to Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles as “unfinished business”.
United under the banner Our Islands – Our Future, the councils are seeking control of the seabed around the islands which would see revenue paid to the organisation used to fund local projects.
Mr Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, said he was in favour of devolving more power to the three regions and would use his new position as Cabinet minister to best effect.
“I have the three island authorities coming to London today and I am taking them round the different Whitehall departments, opening doors for them,” he added.
The Liberal Democrat MP said he and his party colleague Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Highland MP, would be arguing the case.
Mr Carmichael claimed there had been more progress to devolve Crown Estate responsibility since the Lib Dems took office in London in 2010 than there had been in 300 years.
“I would see that as unfinished business and that is an opportunity because the islands are better represented in Cabinet now than they have ever been,” he said.
“There is an opportunity to make things happen on the Crown Estate.”
Steven Heddle, Gary Robinson and Angus Campbell, who lead Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles councils respectively, recently met Scotland’s Local Government Minister Derek Mackay to discuss the campaign.
The SNP MSP said independence was about empowering communities and would “open up opportunities that will help achieve national and local aspirations”. He promised the government would make islanders an offer to transfer devolved power before the referendum next September.
The pledge was dismissed by Mr Carmichael who claimed it told you “everything you need to know about the SNP”.
“We sitting in Edinburgh will tell you islanders what you need and what you want, what we are prepared to give you,” added the MP. “That is not what this debate is about – this is an initiative taken by the people in the isles to take a measure of control of their own destiny and provision of their own services.”