The leaders of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and other public sector organisations are being urged to rekindle the pioneering local authority spirit of old and seize the opportunities that are coming from the moves towards a Single Islands Authority.

Murdo Macritchie – a Ness resident and engineer – has supplied the following piece to welovestornoway on how the Western Isles could be positioning itself at this critical transitional period:

‘The Comhairle’. The council here has always been known by that name as long as I can remember.

Formed in 1975 as the Western Isles Island Council, it became Western Isles Council in 1996 and Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar in 1998. Through those changes, the sailing boat logo has remained a fitting symbol for islands bound to the sea, while ‘Ardaichidh Fireantachd Cinneach’ reflects our Gaelic culture and belief.

Before 1975, the Western Isles were governed by mainland-based councils. Bringing the island chain under one unitary authority headquartered in Stornoway was a major advance.

Since then, major infrastructure has strengthened the spinal route from the Butt to Barra, and schools have benefited from significant investment. Much remains to be done, but CnES has shown that, with the right resources, it can deliver.

However, CnES’s role has also narrowed down through these years. Water and sewage moved to North of Scotland Water in 1994, which then became part of Scottish Water in 2002. Scottish Water is accountable to the Scottish Government and has an annual budget of £1bn.

CnES transferred its housing stock to Hebridean Housing Partnership in 2006. Together, these changes substantially reduced the services delivered directly by the council.

Recent years have been harder. CnES says its budget has fallen by 12 per cent over the past decade, while efforts to secure a better settlement from the Scottish Government have yet to succeed.

With depopulation, fuel poverty and industrial development intensifying, this is a decisive moment for CnES. The status quo is not credible; bold reform can build a stronger, more resilient and ambitious future for the islands.

After May’s Scottish Parliament election, First Minister John Swinney appointed Ivan McKee as Cabinet Secretary for Public Sector Reform, placing public sector reform at the heart of government.

On 1 September, the Scottish Government proposed merging the 11 mainland NHS boards into two, with separate plans for the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.

It also proposed consolidating quangos, including merging Nature Scotland, SEPA and Zero Waste Scotland into one environmental body.

Recently came proposals to replace Scotland’s 32 local authorities with six strategic regional councils supported by 120–160 community authorities focused on service delivery.

What does this mean for the Western Isles? A great deal.

This could be the biggest change in island governance since 1975—and a chance to write our own script. With clarity, ambition and island leadership, reform can equip the Western Isles to thrive for generations.

The proposed model is a Single Authority Model (SAM), or, for island groups, a Single Island Authority (SIA).

Potential partners include CnES, NHS Western Isles, Hebridean Housing Partnership (HHP), Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE), the emergency services, CalMac, CMAL and HIAL. Scottish Water is a notable omission.

The central promise of an SIA is to bring these organisations together under one coordinated island-wide structure, accountable to an Executive Board. Supported by focused sub-Boards, this model could combine clear democratic leadership with specialist expertise, streamline decision-making and give the Western Isles a stronger, more unified voice.

The SIA concept is not new to CnES. The Comhairle has championed the principle since 2018 and has built a strong foundation from which to act. The opportunity to turn that ambition into a model designed around the distinctive needs and strengths of the Western Isles is now firmly within reach.

This opportunity has been coming for some time. Last year, Scottish Government awarded CnES £300k to fund developing a bespoke SIA model for the Western Isles. That funded a dedicated resource to progress the definition of what SIA could look like.

Last week, an updated report was presented to CnES’s Policy & Resource Committee. I read through the 24-page update along with watching the committee meeting online. I have to confess to being a bit disappointed not to see some substantial progress in definition since the previous report I saw from last year.

The organisations who could participate in the SIA have been identified for some time now, so I was hoping to get more insight into the working of the governance model, along with what the composition of a right sized organisation would look like. 

As an armchair pundit, I do not know the full range of issues facing the CnES team, and my expectations may be too high. Even so, the short consultation timetable set by the Scottish Government—with submissions sought by December—can provide momentum and sharpen the focus. It is an opportunity to strengthen the current proposals quickly, build broad support and define a model capable of delivering truly transformational change.

Organisational change requires significant effort, but it also creates the space to improve how services are designed, governed and delivered. The test of reform should be clear: it must produce better outcomes for island communities, strengthen local accountability and leave the Western Isles better equipped for the future.

There are two opportunities that leap out to me: Transport and Energy.

Taking the Scottish Government as an example, if there is an issue that is that important, then make it a department. The creation of Ivan McKee’s position being a great example to follow for both Transport and Energy.

CnES are proposing a Transport & Infrastructure department. Why not rename it something like Transport na-Eilean Siar? As well as the day-to-day role, this department needs to move onto a more strategic level.

I’ll not deny the green-eyed monster looking at our fellow islanders in Shetland charging on with tunnels to Yell. That’s the level of ambition we need to be focusing on.

Go back to the Spinal Route of the 1990s and pick up where we left off to finish what remains to be done. How do we move every aspect of our transport system to a clean energy basis? How do we take advantage of the likely merger of CMAL and CalMac to embed a team from that group in Stornoway? Shouldn't we have an option for deciding ourselves what islanders go onto the Boards of CalMac/CalMac, HIAL, etc?

Energy. We badly need to drive a step change in how we are approaching energy, especially renewable/clean energy. An industrial revolution is taking place right now and we have to really lean into it.

Bring the coordination of the various efforts throughout the island under a democratic remit. Work with developers and community energy groups. Establish links with GB Energy. Deliberately focus on mitigating/eliminating fuel poverty as a priority.

Can HIE fit into this team to drive economic development? Is there a place for the new environmental agency that will be formed in Scotland? Maximise community benefit and create an investment fund from revenue generated. With the Prime Ministers announcement about creating a Great British Grid company, does this create an opportunity to develop a derogation for the island power?

There are so many options and so many possibilities. This is a rare opportunity to reshape island governance around our needs, unlock the full potential of transport and energy, and build a more prosperous, resilient future.

We should grasp it with confidence, revive the pioneering spirit of 1975 and set a new standard for island-led reform.