Campaign to Save Islands in Decline

Representatives from most of Scotland's 95 inhabited isles met on Mull this week to establish the "Scottish Islands Federation," to lobby for action on the problems facing these remote communities (where a total of around 100,000 people live). There was a call for the appointment of a government minister dedicated to promoting island interests and, if possible, a committee at Holyrood to monitor progress. A major concern is the long-running decline in the numbers living on the islands, with many young people leaving for jobs on the mainland, leaving behind aging communities hovering on the brink of extinction. The population of Lewis has fallen from 24,000 in 1961 to below 20,000 in 2001. However, other islands have seen an increase - Orkney has risen from 13,495 in 1961 to 15,315 in 2001 as a result of the oil boom. And Skye has seen its population go up from 7,478 in 1961 to 9, 232, much of it in recent years as a result of the Skye road bridge which removed the need for a ferry crossing.
Photo of Eriskay courtesy of Photonet.