The Orcadian Features - Review 2001

A look back at events of 2001

MARCH

Orkney Islands Council issued a restriction order limiting access to footpaths and bridleways across Orkney in a move designed to limit the potential spread of foot-and-mouth disease. The council also wrote to ferry companies and air authorities requesting that they take measures to prevent the disease entering the islands by boat or plane.
Early March also saw seven and a half inches of snowfall which forced the closure of all Orkney schools for a few days. Unusually, there were no reports of power loss in the county but trouble of another kind was caused when three cars left the road in the worsening conditions with snowploughs struggling to keep up.
First Minister Henry McLeish’s visit to Orkney was hit by the foot-and-mouth outbreak, with a public meeting and rural visits scrapped as a precaution. Mr McLeish opened the £5 million extension at the Balfour Hospital during his visit.
Orkney MSP Jim Wallace rejected calls for him to resign from his post as Deputy First Minister for not voting to give whitefish fishermen immediate cash help for taking part in a tie-up scheme.

He said he was more than prepared to stand on his record of being committed to the industry. He was answering calls for his resignation from the SNP and Tory candidates who were contesting the Orkney and Shetland seat at Westminster at the General Election.
Concerns were raised over the “significant” levels of senior social work staff in Orkney off work because of pressure of work. Officially the council said they currently had no staff off work because of stress, but Councillor McLeod said that stress often manifested itself in different ways with doctors less likely to define it on a sick note. He also suggested that the fault lay with pressures from outside sources such as the Government rather than from within the council.
The Orkney Islands Council and Streamline Shipping Group sought an urgent meeting with the Scottish Executive to demand cash to keep the Orkney livestock service between Kirkwall and Invergordon open. The foot-and-mouth crisis was seen to be the final nail in the coffin of the service.
South Ronaldsay business man Andrew Banks announced that his short sea ro-ro ferry service would be open for business at the beginning of May. He had previously asked the council for financial support but his application was rejected on the grounds that a similar project in the late 1980s had ended in failure. Mr Banks said he had not had much help at all but was delighted that everything had worked out even though it had been a “long haul”.
Scots Transport Minister, Ms Sarah Boyack, came to Orkney and cut the first turf of the new airport terminal building. Orkney Islands Council were given the vital Scottish Executive support for the multi-million pound ro-ro ferry terminal proposed for Hatston and the Stromness harbour upgrade.
Following outcry over the closure of the Richmond Villa private care home in South Ronaldsay, OIC social work director Mr Harry Garland pledged to look at providing a purpose-built residential care home in South Ronaldsay and Burray.
Vigilance over foot-and-mouth disease was continuing, while the blow to the local tourist industry was estimated at several hundred thousand pounds.