Council agrees study into Corran Ferry service

The Highland Council has agreed to carry out a socio-economic impact study into the economics of the Corran Ferry, which links Nether Lochaber to Morvern, Ardgour and the Ardnamurchan peninsula.  This will assess the impact on the rural community of fare increases, which are necessary to cover ever-rising fuel and maintenance costs.

Members of the Transport Environmental and Community Services Committee asked officials to return by the end of the year with the findings, consulting with the local community and the Lochaber Area Committee as a vital part of the process.

Members fully understood the importance of the ferry service to remote and fragile communities and the concerns of regular users at fare increases and agreed that a review of the funding of the ferry and a future strategy for the ferry was urgently needed.

The Committee, meanwhile, agreed to introduce increases in fares from 1 November.  The existing fares structure is being retained and a 30p increase applied to a single ticket price for all cars as well as a 30p per ticket price within a concessionary book of 30.  This will generate an additional income to meet agreed budgets and help bridge some of the gap between income and expenditure on fuel and ferry refits.

The Committee also agreed to reduce the number of tickets in a book of concessions for OAPs.

Committee Chairman Graham Phillips called an adjournment during the committee meeting to agree a way forward after Lochaber Councillors Andrew Baxter, Brian Murphy and Bill Clark had highlighted the concerns of the local community.  Councillor Baxter had asked for a deferral of a fare increase in the current financial year but was advised this was not competent as the Council had already agreed to introduce a revised fares to raise an additional income as part of the budget setting process.