Orkney Islands Council leader Heather Woodbridge was spot on when she described the securing of funding for three new ferries to serve Eday, Sanday, Stronsay and Westray as ‘a momentous day for Orkney’.

It was great to hear that Councillor Woodbridge felt the negotiations between her team at OIC and the Scottish Government officials had built ‘a strong relationship’ between the parties, and that the Scottish Government announcement gave the council the ‘sure footing’ to go ahead with getting the ferries built.

Last week’s announcement was the culmination of work that started with the setting up of the Ferries Taskforce by First Minister John Swinney, so it is good to see that work now paying off for the islands.

There was plenty more for Orkney as Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced the budget in Holyrood.

This includes record investment in Scotland’s NHS – totalling £17.6 billion for frontline services and £2.4 billion for GP, primary care and community services – and to introduce new walk-in GP centres.

It means that NHS Orkney’s funding increase from £74.9 million to £84.9 million, up 13.4% – the second highest rise in Scotland.

The funding will help enable the expansion of the number of Hospital at Home beds to at least 2,000 across Scotland by the end of 2026.

The new NHS budget also contains £2.4 billion for primary care, including £36 million for new walk-in GP services, with the first to launch later this year.

Expansion of the best cost-of-living support in the UK, major investment in education, housing and local government, and targeted action to tackle child poverty are also included in the budget.

These budget plans will be funded by fair, progressive tax choices meaning that most Scots will pay less income tax than they would in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. It also includes new taxes on private jets and hikes in council tax for properties valued over £1 million.

For Orkney, the Budget delivers a £40 per week payment for families with children under one, breakfast clubs in every primary and special school in the islands, and a universal ‘learn to swim’ offer for all primary school children across Orkney, as part of a free Summer of Sport initiative.

The Budget also allocates investment to continue free bus travel for under-22s and over-60s, free prescriptions and eye tests; and the continued scrapping of university tuition fees.

This is a Budget that delivers for Scotland – and I am delighted that, with the ferry funding to the fore and with the significant increase in health spending, the priorities of the islands are at the very heart of this SNP government’s Budget.

At a time when Labour’s choices at Westminster continue to squeeze living standards, this SNP Budget shows that different choices are possible.

This is a Budget that delivers for all of Scotland. It is a Budget that Orkney can be proud of.

This is a regular column by SNP MSP Emma Roddick. All Highlands and Islands MSPs have been offered the same space in The Orkney News to share their views.

---

Ambitious or Too Timid? Reactions to the Draft Scottish Budget