Scotland’s ferry firm has really hit rock bottom when it comes to the taxpayer’s wallet. Like, seriously, the cost has skyrocketed to a mind-boggling £750m, which is just insane! I mean, come on, who knew running a ferry company could cost this much, right?
So, get this – the Scottish Government had this shipyard called Ferguson Marine, right? Well, turns out they overspent their budgets by a whopping £210m in just the first five years after being nationalized in 2019. And all this overspending was supposedly to deliver two ferries that were way behind schedule and way over budget. Talk about a financial disaster waiting to happen.
The costs for Ferguson Marine have been piling up, covering everything from running expenses to wages, and even a drop in the ships’ value. And let’s not forget the rising capital costs of actually building these vessels. The total bill had soared to nearly £710m before the board had the audacity to ask for another £35m from the Scottish Government to finish building the second ferry, Glen Rosa. Seriously, where does all this money even go?
Now, here’s the kicker – that £750m could’ve covered the cost of 13 ferries being built in Turkey right now. Like, why are we spending so much on just two ferries when we could’ve had a whole fleet by now? And don’t even get me started on the affordable housing crisis in Scotland. That money could’ve provided over 3,400 homes for those in need. It’s just mind-blowing how mismanaged this whole situation has been.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, maintenance and repair costs for the existing lifeline fleet have shot up to £252.2m, with annual expenses nearly tripling in the past decade. I mean, where does it all end? It’s like a never-ending cycle of financial woes that the taxpayers are left to foot the bill for.
Politicians like Edward Mountain and Katy Clark are rightfully calling out the Scottish Government for its poor decisions and mismanagement. It’s like they can’t even admit when they’ve made a mistake, which is just plain frustrating for everyone involved. How did they even let things get this out of hand in the first place?
The future of Ferguson Marine is hanging by a thread as CMAL rejected their bid for a major contract worth £175m. It’s like one bad decision after another, and now the shipyard’s very existence is in jeopardy. What a mess!
I’m not really sure why all this matters, but it seems like a public inquiry is needed to figure out where all this money is going and if it’s even worth it. Like, do we really need to keep propping up a sinking shipyard with taxpayer money? Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like there are better ways to spend £750m than on two ferries that are taking forever to build.
The Scottish Government needs to get its act together and figure out a way to salvage this situation before it’s too late. Taxpayers deserve better, and so do the communities relying on these ferry services. Let’s hope they can turn things around and finally deliver on their promises.
