Harbour and ferry matters are devolved to the Scottish Parliament, but as the local MP, constituents have understandably raised their concerns with me.

We need a better, more reliable Arran ferry service. Following the £32 million redevelopment of Brodick in 2018, central to that is a more resilient Ardrossan Harbour.

Ardrossan, privatised by the Tories in 1992, is the only one of 52 working ports on the entire Clyde and Hebridean ferry service network that is privately owned. This puts it in an unhelpfully unique position.

After ordering two new ferries to serve Arran and the ‘Uig triangle’ in the Hebrides, the SNP Government invested £38m on Uig harbour in Skye, £22.5m on Tarbert in Harris and £15.3m on Lochmaddy, North Uist.

Clearly, if Ardrossan Harbour was still public hands, it wouldn’t be in its current state, as Scottish ministers would have invested directly.   

The obvious fly in the ointment is Peel Ports. Had more of the landing dues received from people who travel on the Ardrossan to Brodick route been invested in their asset over the years, it would not now require so much investment now.

Indeed, there are questions as to whether Peel Ports has neglected its duties under the Harbour Act 1964.

The Ardrossan Harbour Task Force, the SNP Government and North Ayrshire Council (NAC) have all negotiated with Peel regarding the extent of the works and who should pay for them.

Agreement was finally reached a couple of years ago, with a tender expected and work subsequently commencing on site. However, soaring construction inflation and an expanded scope of works, means the project is being reassessed. A revised business case is expected imminently.

The UK Subsidy Control Act 2022 limits the extent to which public resources can be invested in private assets. So, even if they wanted to, Scottish ministers and NAC can’t just spend as much taxpayers’ money on the harbour as Peel would wish.

I called for a compulsory purchase of Ardrossan Harbour, a matter local MSP Kenneth Gibson first explored years ago, following Peel’s sudden, ‘permanent’ closure of the harbour's Irish berth in January. The changed situation might now make that possible.  

Ardrossan Harbour’s redevelopment will be costly but needs to happen, and has been repeatedly committed to by First Minister Humza Yousaf MSP and transport secretary Fiona Hyslop MSP, despite opposition MSPs suggesting otherwise.

Troon harbour is unsatisfactory for numerous reasons, but when used during Ardrossan Harbour’s redevelopment, or if there are similar problems to the recent closure of Ardrossan for fender repairs, it must be much more user-friendly.

CalMac is reviewing vessel deployment plans and by the time this article is published will have communicated timetable changes. 

The SNP Government’s capital allocation this year for ferries and piers will be £124.9m, even though the UK Tory Government has cut Scotland’s capital allocation over the next three years by £1,600 million.

Nevertheless, Ardrossan Harbour’s redevelopment remains of critical importance, and Kenneth Gibson MSP relentlessly pursues this within the Scottish Parliament.

We all want a robust, resilient, reliable ferry service sailing from Ardrossan. And that’s what the SNP Government and its partners will deliver.