Fuel price pilot scheme in Argyll and Bute rejected by isles’ MSPs

A proposal to operate a pilot scheme to cut the price of fuel in Scotland’s islands has been roundly condemned by Shetland and Orkney MSPs Tavish Scott and Liam McArthur.

The idea was floated by Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy and reported in the Press and Journal on Monday. He said it should be confined to the Argyll and Bute islands.

Petrol and diesel in Shetland are currently being sold at 115p a litre compared with just 99p at the Morrison’s supermarket in central Aberdeen.

Mr Scott said the SNP government in Edinburgh had already left Shetland and Orkney out of the pilot scheme for cheaper ferry fares and now Labour looked equally partisan.

“Jim Murphy cannot be ignorant of the high cost of fuel in Orkney and Shetland and of the damage it causes to islanders and island businesses,” he said.

“[His] belated recognition that something must be done is welcome, but only if all islands can benefit from the start. That is what is needed. And the scheme shouldn’t just be a pilot – it should be a permanent scheme.”