‘Shocking’ no-show of Scottish and UK government ministers at Inverness renewables convention aggravates tensions amid demand for planning inquiry

The The Scottish and UK governments were conspicuous by their absence at a second major Highland meeting on renewable energy projects in Inverness yesterday.

The convention was billed as a debate about the “value of local democracy”.

Eleven MPs and MSPs from across the region attended the second Highland convention on the impact of major energy infrastructure.

They all backed calls for “urgent debates” in Holyrood and Westminster regarding the impact of renewable energy developments in the Highlands.

The community councils that organised the event are concerned about the pace, number and size of developments.

They are also deeply concerned about the state of local democracy, given that so many projects are being approved by the government despite local opposition.

As if to emphasise the campaigners' point, neither Scottish Energy Minister Gillian Martin nor her Westminster counterpart Michael Shanks attended.

The usually devoted Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP and Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, was also a no-show, citing prior engagements.

The Scottish Government said Ms Martin was 'unable' to attend, while Mr Shanks, the Labour energy minister, declined because 'planning' is devolved.

This is disingenuous, however, as energy policy is largely the responsibility of Westminster, and the issues faced by Highlanders are directly related to decisions made in London.

With just 268 days to go until the Holyrood election, it would be hard to imagine a worse signal for the governing parties to send on an issue of such central importance to voters.

Big turnout of MPs and MSPs

But four MPs from Labour, the SNP and Liberal Democrats and six MSPs from the SNP, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives did attend.

MPs Jamie Stone (LibDems) – who was at the Beauly meeting, Angus MacDonald (LibDems), Graham Leadbitter (SNP) and Torcuil Crichton (Labour) were there.

So was SNP MSP Maree Todd – she was the highest ranked Scottish government politician to go but she is the minister for drugs and alcohol and sport.

Conservative MSP Tim Eagle, Jamie Halcro Johnston, Edward Mountain and Douglas Ross turned out as did the SNP’s Emma Roddick.

While Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing who is now running as an independent after refusing to stand for the SNP also attended.

Demands for a Planning Inquiry Commission

It is the second convention of its kind spearheaded by Aird and Loch Ness Conservative Councillor Helen Crawford, the first was held in Beauly in June.

The first points she asked the politicians to address were in the unified statement that emerged from the Beauly meeting.

Cllr Crawford believes the big asks and one which is the most important step is for the Scottish Government to call for a Planning Inquiry Commission which investigates and reports on specific major planning matters.

Cllr Crawford said: “I get that the unified statement is not perfect but it is a real attempt to address where the whole process has gone wrong and let me be frank: this is not simply a local failure. It is a national failure.

“So firstly, the unified statement basically has four main points to it. The first part is very much to make it very clear that the people in this Loop are reasonable people who believe in doing their bit for climate change – that's enshrined in this statement.

“Secondly, community councils have been ignored, there is public consultation in name only, and there is no real oversight to ensure that public consultation stands for anything. That needs to change.

“Thirdly and this is very much the meat of it. The convention agreed that it would seek a Scottish Planning Inquiry Commission. That was the real detail that has been missing here.

“And it could be a way of addressing this for Scotland so it's calling for the Scottish government to undertake that, to include this convention, communities at the top table and properly address the whole cumulated impact of these multiple, multiple developments.”

In responding to that, those that captured the mood of the room best were Fergus Ewing, Douglas Ross, Edward Mountain and then later Tim Eagle.

Those that lost the room early and didn’t get it back were Angus MacDonald and Emma Roddick whose comments were met with booing and heckling.

Reasonable complaint

First, there is the lack of a National Energy Infrastructure Plan – it should have been delivered and is now pending release.

Then there is the question of local democracy and why on multiple occasions local authorities are overruled by planners in Edinburgh.

There is also the question of value both when it comes to bills and community benefit which is not as persuasive as some elected members believed.

Ultimately, those MPs or MSPs who were able to perceive why the community councils feel let down and understand their emotional frustration came off best.

Mr Ewing probably put it best when he said: “I'll tell you what. I think: there's a lack of democracy in the Highlands about planning matters to do with renewables.

“I am a supporter of renewables and a supporter of community ownership, which I advanced when I was a minister but if you don't have democracy, if you don't have the ‘demos’, if you don't have the people with you, you don't have the ‘kratos’, which is the rule without the ‘demos’.

“Then the people can only be miserable and the lack of any government minister accepting the invitation to come here today is quite shocking.”

The chief complaints from the floor were reasonable in the sense that what they asked for is what should in normal circumstances already be in place.

Mr Ross agreed, saying: “I have to say from this side the turnout is inspiring. I would simply say – just wish there were two more seats filled, and that's with the UK and the Scottish government minister. They should be here.

“And I would say to Gillian Martin and to Michael Shanks: If you somehow think if you miss this convention in August, this group is suddenly going to go quiet, I think they should think again.

“Also in a democracy you don’t just listen to the people who agree with you, if you turn out to meetings like this, which may be uncomfortable, but you listen to the communities you are supposed to serve.

“I understand the frustration in this room. You are in our legislation as statutory consultees, you are our voice and the voice of the communities, you serve and more and more you are ignored and you're not listened to, that is simply unacceptable.”

They were invited to put their names to a call to do everything they could to arrange “urgent debates” in Holyrood and Westminster amid fears for local democracy.

That was triggered by the billions of pounds expected to pour into the Highlands – SSEN Transmission alone expects to invest £22 billion – to develop renewable energy infrastructure.

Many of those projects are highly contentious from the three pumped storage hydro projects on Loch Ness to the massive Fanellan substation to name but four.

Councillor Helen Crawford who chaired the meeting fought a months-long battle with Highland Council to issue a live map of planned and completed renewable projects.

It showed that there were 1300 projects either finished or in the pipeline now – to say nothing of what may come forward (see below or click here).

Highland landscape is at the heart of the issue

The heart of the issue facing the politicians is the impact of those projects and others like them on the Highland landscape and that government policy effectively makes them near impossible to refuse.

That means when communities object to what the community councils call the “unnecessary industrialisation of the Highlands” they are effectively listened to then ignored.

Aggravating factors are that the cost of energy in the region is higher than elsewhere and community benefit for the vast majority of households is negligible.

So while bills remain high – in the coldest and wettest part of the UK – fuel poverty is the highest in the UK while energy is exported elsewhere in the country.

Bearing the brunt of this infrastructure – with no serious plans from either government to bring down bills – sparked the first renewable energy conference.

That is the environment that the 11 politicians entered and how they fared on the day was determined by how far they were able to accept that something has gone wrong.

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