Kenny Barker — The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Candidate for the Western Isles
By Netty Sopata
In the build up to the UK General Election on the 4th of July, fios has spoken individually to a number of candidates for the Western Isles, and discussed five key topics with them — Renewable Energy; Peats and Peatland; Transport; Affordable Housing and International Politics.
Kenny Barker, a resident of North Uist since 2005, is the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Candidate for the Western Isles. Retired from a career in the NHS, Kenny has stood for Council elections, but this is his first time standing as a candidate in a General Election — “It’s something I have always wanted to do.” Kenny told me, when we met online last week, and he continued “I always feel that the islands have so much to offer, but we get neglected a fair bit.”
RENEWABLE ENERGY
We have, as you will be aware, a number of on-shore and off-shore wind farm sites potentially being developed in the Western Isles. What is your perspective on these, and how do you think they may, or may not benefit the island?
“There are pros and cons…They do bring jobs to the islands ….. but I believe that if we’re going to have wind farms on the island , islanders should benefit first. I don’t see why we should be exporting it all. I would like to see more energy produced on the island and sold to islanders at a better price. At the moment we’ve got the highest standard surcharge, and really if energy is getting produced on the islands we should be getting our surcharge capped….The islands should be getting some sort of benefit from it if the locals are wanting them, but if the locals don’t want them, I don’t think they should really be forced on to the islanders.”
PEATS AND PEATLAND RESTORATION
So, firstly Peats. Another form of energy, and one that has been raised in debate after the new build regulations potentially banning the installation of solid fuel stoves. What are your thoughts on this?
“I would cry if they tried to stop us cutting peat. I cut my own peat with my wife every year. I think without peat there would be a lot more fuel poverty on the islands…There’s nothing better than a good peat fire.”
And in relation to the Peatland Restoration?
“This is an interesting one because our community has been chosen for a peatland restoration project…but it’s taken a year and a half to get to the second stage of it. There’s a lot of promises with it, but not a lot has happened.” Do you think this is something other communities will take on? I asked, and Kenny responded: “I think the way things are… a lot of communities are going to be very hesitant to have it hanging over their head without any incentive to do it…there’s a lot of commitment involved, but not a lot of reward.”
TRANSPORT
As any resident of the Western Isles will know, this is a huge topic and one that has filled numerous articles in the local and national press . But what, I asked Kenny, was his perspective on how to resolve the issues surrounding the transportation infrastructure for both the ferries, and the airlines?
“I’ve actually discussed this with the HIghlands and Islands MSP Tim Eagle. We have asked if he can go back and see if there’s a way that CalMac can hold back some space for locals, instead of letting out the whole boat in one go. They could hold back some …It’s just crazy that they are opening it up at the start of the summer and within days the boats are full.”
And in relation to the airlines; “We’ve got our eight seater that flies backwards and forwards to Stornoway*. That only flies depending on the weather and it doesn’t really connect with the flights going to anywhere else. It used to be that you could fly from here up to Stornoway, and then on to Inverness, but it’s now a six hour wait if you want to make that connection.” The reduced air service, Kenny carried on; “also affects our clinics down here, because Doctors can’t get connections back off the island…and we’re now finding the ferry from Berneray to Leverburgh is full on hospital appointment days, because people are having to travel that way instead. Because now, with the airplane, depending on what people are coming up for you’ve got four patients and four escorts. You can’t blame the council, because they’ve had their budget cuts. I think it’s time the council and the health board came together and had a good look at the transport policy for the island, because there needs to be better integration of flights for patients and for everyone else….or its time the Scottish Government stepped in and came up with a better plan.”
Is there anything else on transport that you want to say, or get across?
“Yeah, I think it’s time the spinal route from the top of the islands down to the bottom is finished. ..this was getting done on European Union money, down from Stornoway to Leverburgh and from Marvig to LochBoisdale …They call it the spinal route and it supposed be all double tracked….its come to a halt these last five/ six years. Its time some of infrastructure budget was spent on the roads here.”
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
How, I asked Jamie, would he navigate the issue of affordable housing and the ageing demographic of the population? How would he increase the availability of affordable houses for younger people?
“It’s a problem up and down the islands, there’s a shortage of … .affordable housing and social housing. We’re seeing the younger ones get priced out the market. What approach I asked, could be taken to mitigate this? “As a party we are actually looking at starting up a Social Housing Development Agency to increase the amount of houses. And what does it actually mean? I asked. Kenny answered: “They’re looking at building on brown sites, plus they’re also looking at the rural housing fund. Depopulation comes down to the lack of housing at the end of the day. There are job vacancies here, but the people that fill the jobs can’t get houses. So without a house building programme we’re not going to be able to fill these vacancies. When hospitals used to be built, they were built with staff accommodation and now hospitals don’t have staff accommodation…really the Health Board should be supplying a certain number of houses and the same with the police. The institutions that employ people should be looking at supplying housing.”
INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
Many of the local topics being discussed in relation to this General Election are Western Isles or rural Scotland specific. But there are many national and global issues that will continue to have an effect on our daily lives that also need to be addressed. What I wanted to know was Kenny’s perspective on Gaza, Ukraine and the U.S Election? The responses from Kenny were as follows:
Gaza — “Where do you start with Gaza? To me what Hamas did in October was unthinkable…..I think Israel had a right to retaliate and get people back, but I think Israel has gone too far now, a long long time ago …they need to stop now.”
Ukraine — “I think Ukraine could go in any direction, we could end up in a third world war and that really scares me….too many innocent people are dying.”
The U.S Elections — “Well I think that Mr. Trump is probably the better of the two candidates. I think they could have done a better job by getting a couple of younger candidates to be honest.“
*The Uist to Stornoway flight route is now run by Hebridean Air Services Ltd.
This series of interviews have been coordinated as part of The Scottish beacon’s Citizen’s Agenda Project: The Scottish Beacon — Community Empowerment