News / Tavish urges car park protest
SHETLAND MSP Tavish Scott is urging islanders to protest about plans to charge for car parking at Sumburgh airport when its board of directors visit the isles this week.
Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) will be holding an open day in the Baila Room at Sound Hall, in Lerwick, at 4pm on Wednesday.
Islanders have been up in arms about Scottish government-owned HIAL’s plans to help meet their £1 million budget deficit by charging for parking at island airports.
Mr Scott wants anyone who has strong feelings on the issue to make them known at Wednesday’s meeting.
“This is a good opportunity to put to board members once again Shetland’s opposition to the threatened car parking charges at Sumburgh airport,” he said.
“The board needs to be reminded that Sumburgh airport is Shetland’s gateway to our lifeline air services. The cost of flying is already high enough, without adding to it by imposing car parking charges on top.”
Shetland’s shortage of public transport meant people relied on cars to reach the airport, he said.
“Hopefully, having travelled to Shetland, board members will be able to see this for themselves, but the more people that go along and make the point, the harder it will be for the board to ignore Shetland’s opposition, when it comes to make its decision on the car parking charges.”
Mr Scott has also hit out at the board’s refusal to meet with the Sumburgh airport consultative committee.
“There’s not much point in having a local consultative committee, if the board refuses to meet it when it is in Shetland. I hope that, even at this late stage, common sense and courtesy might prevail and a meeting be set up,” he said.
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