Hansard

I grew up virtually on the banks of the Clyde, just beside Strathclyde park, and “Song of the Clyde” was one of the first songs that I remember being taught when I was a youngster. The Clyde was integral to our leisure and to the community in North Lanarkshire, and it borders most of my Motherwell and Wishaw constituency along the south side.

Much has been said about what the Clyde has meant to people, and how it belongs to the people. I think that it is worth remembering some of the things I have seen that might be lost if the proposal goes ahead. I think of Mr Savage, who founded the then Clyde Humane Society and volunteered for years, saving people in distress in the Clyde and being there to rescue people who were in trouble, and unfortunately bringing many bodies back when there had been a tragedy in the Clyde. All the work that the society still does, now as the Glasgow Humane Society, might not have happened.

I have also seen work done with drug and alcohol interventions that involved people building coracles to go on the Clyde. Those interventions often involved work with young people to help them to understand that rivers are a great source of leisure and sporting activity, and are for everyone’s use.

To see that use curtailed in the way that is proposed, therefore, is absolutely at odds with Scotland’s tradition of the right to roam. I know that we are talking about waterways, but I ask members to imagine if a charge were suddenly to be imposed on people accessing Glencoe or other hillsides and walking areas across Scotland. There would be outrage, so I absolutely understand why so many people are against the imposition of fees.

I am a member of the cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism as a result of my involvement in the cross-party group on accident prevention and safety awareness. Given the amount of water safety work that we do in those groups, I understand the complexities of Scotland’s waters. We have one of the longest coastlines in Europe, and the nature of that coastline means that the proposed fee area vastly encroaches into our waterways, including Loch Fyne and all the places that are traditionally known to us as areas for leisure boating and where people can access the water. The proposed area covers a whole section of the coastline of the Isle of Arran, and people will not be able to sail round there or around the Isle of Bute, or to Millport, without incurring the fees.

The relevant legislation has existed since 2003, and only now is the company coming forward with its proposals to impose a fee on leisure and tourism in Scotland. We have a proud history of protecting the rights of people to roam in Scotland, and that should extend to our waterways. I understand that ports need to be maintained, but that comes with a responsibility to provide services, too.

I feel that, as the area that is involved is unique and vast, the impact of the proposals will be detrimental to the whole of it. I have holidayed many times in Rothesay and, while we were on holiday, it was always a joy for our family to spot the Waverley whenever we could. It would be absolutely appalling for Scotland if that environment were to change as a result of people deciding not to come to the west of Scotland.