The Duncan Mills slipway at Balloch, operated by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA), is the last remaining public boat launching facility on Loch Lomond. This follows the decision by staff to close Milarrochy Bay in 2017 (see here). The LLTNPA’s website provides some limited information about the operation of the slipway and its opening hours (see here):
On Thursday sunset on the Clyde was just after 18.45 yet the slipway appears to have turned back the jet skier who commented on the Loch Lomond Boats and Jet Skis Facebook page at 15.00 and had locked the gates barring entry at 15.30. Like kayakers, it is perfectly feasible for jet skiers to get out onto the loch late afternoon/early evening for a couple of hours, but unlike kayakers they depend on slipways being available and open. It appears that LLTNPA senior management are now treating the boating season as ending on 30th September and, without any public debate, applying different rules to the autumn and winter months. I can find no announcement of the changes on the LLTNPA’s website.
Sid Perrie, the former locally elected member for Balloch, brought these changes to my attention.
During his term of office Sid had consistently tried to question what LLTNPA senior management were doing and planning at Balloch. For challenging the planning process behind the Flamingo Land application he was suspended by the Standards Commission for Scotland for six months (the Sheriff Court is still to hear his appeal against that decision) (see here). For trying to raise questions about the LLTNPA’s plans for the Pierhead in Balloch (see here), including the implications for the Duncan Mills slipway, he was subject to another complaint to the Standards Commission from the LLTNPA, Chief Executive, Gordon Watson. (I have yet to blog about this but the Standards Commission still want to hear this despite Sid no longer being on the board). Sid also tried to get the LLTNPA to re-open the blocked right of way across the River Leven by Sweeney’s boatyard, which would have meant boaters wanting to access Loch Lomond after office hours would have had an alternative means of doing so, but was thwarted at every turn.
Had Sid, as locally elected member, been successful in challenging any part of what LLTNPA senior management are doing at Balloch, I doubt they would have dared close the one remaining public slipway in the National Park three hours before sunset. Moreover, if he was still on the board, he would have been prepared to say so in public.
The question now is whether the new local member for Balloch, who was elected unopposed, will also be prepared to speak out in public about what is happening even if it risks LLTNPA senior management referring her to the Ethical Standards Commissioner. (In Scotland’s Brave New World it is an “offense” under the Code of Conduct for Public Life for elected members to criticise officials in public).
Unfortunately, neither Sid, myself or any other member of the public have any means of bringing the change in closing times at the Duncan Mills slipway to Louise Ewing’s attention, finding out her views or learning what if anything she might be prepared to do about this. This is because the LLTNPA has consistently refused to provide any means for the public to contact board members.
Sid tried to change that by proposing all board members should have their own emails. The other board members unanimously voted him down but as a concession public emails were provided to committee conveners and a post box email address (managed by staff) provided for those who wanted to cover all board members. Now that Sid has left the board, the few emails that were provided have disappeared from the Board webpage! Perhaps the MSPs for the area (both directly elected and list), all of whom have their own emails, could express their outrage?
