Argyll and Bute Council is welcoming the decision made by Scottish Ministers to procure the new Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service as a single contract. Tendering for the contract will start in 2014 and until then an interim three year contract is being put in place with Caledonian MacBrayne.

Lead Councillor for development and infrastructure, John Semple said, “This decision will be a great comfort to our communities who rely on ferry services and may have feared routes would be broken up. It will also be reassuring for Calmac staff who now have more certainty about their future.

“The council shares the Scottish Government’s vision of a service fit for the 21st Century which meets the needs of local communities and businesses alike.”

Calmac’s three year interim contract will be awarded when the current contract expires next autumn and the company will still deliver the same services on behalf of Scottish Ministers under the same terms and conditions.