Western Isles Tax on Visiting Motorhomes

Essa said:
Hello, all, this is my first post here. I joined because, having been incensed by the new no standby discrimination, I was further dismayed to read about this proposed levy in my local online paper today and wanted to find out if others were too and if anything could be done to fight this before it happens.



Tookey, I am an islander, well, an incomer at any rate, and if anyone actually does bother to consult me I will veto it but I have no expectation that many others will as there is a lot of vitriol aimed at campervans where I live from locals and incomers alike. Besides that when councils say they will consult they just ask questions after they've decided what they want to do and then go ahead and do what they want anyway regardless in my experience.

It would serve the Western Isles Council and CalMac right if campervans stopped coming altogether and then they'll be pleading with us to come and spend money and fill up the ferries before long.

Please can everyone who disagrees with this discriminatory, unjust and repellant idea write to the Council to protest - address below:

Convenor Norman MacDonald
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Council Offices,
Sandwick Rd,
Stornoway
HS1 2BW
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Nice to hear from you Essa and many thanks for your comments.
When I heard of this obvious discrimination from CalMac, and then the proposal to tax us alone my blood was boiling.
I have contacted CalMac and have posted their replies on here, but I will let others contact Norman MacDonald.
I intend next week to contact Transport Scotland to report Cal Macs poor behaviour towards us. If you read their recent reply to me you will surely note that they are struggling to defend the indefensible. The fact that we have somewhere to live in the event of missing a crossing has got to be the worse reasoning I have ever heard, and clearly this only came about after much lateral thought scrutinising every possible means of defence of their obvious bias towards us. So can I ask you and others to contact CalMac.

enquiries@calmac.co.uk
 
molly 2 said:
It also read don't come unless you have booked on a camp site .I think they would prefer us to have virtual visits ,stay home and just send them money
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Molly I note your jocularly approach, but sadly it’s not far off the mark :)
 
Fisherman said:
Nice to hear from you Essa and many thanks for your comments.
When I heard of this obvious discrimination from CalMac, and then the proposal to tax us alone my blood was boiling.
I have contacted CalMac and have posted their replies on here, but I will let others contact Norman MacDonald.
I intend next week to contact Transport Scotland to report Cal Macs poor behaviour towards us. If you read their recent reply to me you will surely note that they are struggling to defend the indefensible. The fact that we have somewhere to live in the event of missing a crossing has got to be the worse reasoning I have ever heard, and clearly this only came about after much lateral thought scrutinising every possible means of defence of their obvious bias towards us. So can I ask you and others to contact CalMac.

enquiries@calmac.co.uk
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To be honest I thought their explanation was reasonable . How or when they worked it out is open to debate .
 
To be honest reading some of the posts recently from various island residents recently in Facebook....
Ill be giving them a swerve for a good while...
Plenty of other places that ARE happy to have me visit and spend my money.

The current attitude of folks in SOME areas is likely to bit them in the arse as soon as folks start heading off abroad again....

I simply refuse to spend my hard earned cash anywhere I'm not welcome.
 
alcam said:
To be honest I thought their explanation was reasonable . How or when they worked it out is open to debate .
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If the reasoning given in their reply was sincere, they would have mentioned it initially.
Also they say you have a van to live in. You may have no water, no solar, a full toilet cassette, and nowhere to park.
You will then have to try and find a campsite if you can get one.
Sorry Alcam but this is discriminatory and wrong in my honest opinion.
But I respect your view, and thanks for your comment, much appreciated.
 
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Shane and his brother were up the West of Scotland a couple of weeks ago and did a few islands. They were told by the ferry company they couldn’t go to Lewis if they didn’t have a campsite booked. This wasn’t with a motorhome or camper either they had car and tent.
I don’t know if this was just an individual and not really true or if they are requiring campsite booking
 
This is pretty typical on the barra/Vatersay Facebook page currently...
Screenshot_20210925-121817_Facebook.jpg
 
Fisherman said:
If the reasoning given in their reply was for sincere, they would have mentioned it initially.
Also they say you have a van to live in. You may have no water, no solar, a full toilet cassette, and nowhere to park.
You will then have to try and find a campsite if you can get one.
Sorry Alcam but this is discriminatory and wrong in my honest opinion.
But I respect your view, and thanks for your comment, much appreciated.
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I did say that was open to debate ?
We do have vans to sleep in which is preferable to sleeping in a car . If you didn't get on a ferry you have options that car drivers don't . So explanation , whenever conjured up , has a logic to it .
Think there are , obvious , discriminatory regulations being proposed which are more important .
choose one's battles wisely
 
alcam said:
I did say that was open to debate ?
We do have vans to sleep in which is preferable to sleeping in a car . If you didn't get on a ferry you have options that car drivers don't . So explanation , whenever conjured up , has a logic to it .
Think there are , obvious , discriminatory regulations being proposed which are more important .
choose one's battles wisely
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Many of these who work for CalMac and who manage them are Islanders Alcam.
When you highlight one group of people for different treatment it's bound to create friction.
This move by CalMac is not only discrimination, it has helped to further tarnish our already damaged reputation.
You only have to look at mistericemans post 31 to see how we are viewed by some Islanders.
 
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Fisherman said:
Many of these who work for CalMac and who manage them are Islanders Alcam.
When you highlight one group of people for different treatment it's bound to create friction.
This move by CalMac is not only discrimination, it has helped to further tarnish our already damaged reputation.
You only have to look at mistericemans post 31 to see how we are viewed by some Islanders.
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Can't really see how any discrimination (perceived or not) by an organisation tarnishes the reputation of those discriminated against ?
As I , and others , have said already their explanation is reasoned and logical . No matter when it was conceived .
Really think you are weakening a good argument by pursuing this one
 
alcam said:
Can't really see how any discrimination (perceived or not) by an organisation tarnishes the reputation of those discriminated against ?
As I , and others , have said already their explanation is reasoned and logical . No matter when it was conceived .
Really think you are weakening a good argument by pursuing this one
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I have read through several articles on this ban, and everyone of them also mention things like WE dump our waste in the sea and in rivers, how there are far to many of us, how we prevent islanders getting access to the ferries, (whilst we are a small percentage of the ferry traffic) , how we should not be allowed onto the islands without campsite bookings etc. And if you go onto Facebook it gets even worse. I read one comment “ that’s exactly what they deserve they are scum of the earth, pests that have to be dealt with”. Mistericeman posted comments from Facebook stating our vans should be crushed, and these comments were supported by others. This ban feeds such individuals and even the more moderate islanders reckon that this ban is a form of retribution towards our perceived poor behaviour. If all people read about you are negative comments things get exaggerated and such poor behaviour and comments become accepted norms, and this ban is feeding this.
Sorry you cannot see this Alcam, but this ban is unjust, unnecessary and adding to our poor reputation, and some people are just loving it.
And in reference to an earlier post from you, I do pick my fights carefully.
Today we are banned from the queues, tomorrow we may be limited to one van per crossing who knows.
 
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