Monday 23 December 2024
 3.7°C   NNW Gentle Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Letters / Time for real community benefit

Now that the Viking Energy scheme is unstoppable, the over 1,000 members of Sustainable Shetland have a real opportunity to show, rather than tell, how we can transform Shetland with truly community based ethical and sustainable development projects by taking ‘the bribe’ and show both Viking Energy and the community at large what a positive sustainable Shetland can be like.

Agreement reached on £2.2m-a-year Viking Energy community benefit fund

Further complaining about the bribe – let’s call it what it is – will get us nowhere.

Get in touch with and/or stand to be on your local community council to effect real change.

It is also a huge opportunity to show how the Shetland Charitable Trust and other trusts have got community involvement and engagement with the disbursement of funds so very badly wrong on so many occasions adopting a paternalistic, elitist and top-down approach.

Let’s get busy and not waste any more energy (no pun intended) on what we can’t do, but what we can.

James J Paton
Lerwick

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 
Advertisement 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.