VIDEO: CONSERVATIVES BACK REGULATION OF ISLE OF WIGHT FERRIES IN THE COMMONS
The Conservative Opposition in Parliament has formally backed regulation for Isle of Wight ferries, slamming ticket prices as ‘extortionately high’.
Shadow Communities Minister, Paul Holmes MP, said that ferry services are being ‘run into the ground’ and Conservative MPs would back East Wight MP Joe Robertson’s proposed amendment to the English Devolution Bill to hand powers for pricing and timetabling to the incoming Mayor for Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
Speaking at the despatch box in the House of Commons, Mr Holmes questioned why the government was not formally backing the proposal:
“In other areas they have allowed mayors to have regulatory responsibility for many areas across the whole of the United Kingdom, not only geographically but in terms of the areas that the mayor is responsible for [like transport], and the Isle of Wight is a special case.”
He referred to ferry cancellations faced by Islanders and acknowledged the joint work of the Island’s 2 MPs Mr Quigley and Mr Robertson, who described the establishment of a local combined mayor authority as a ‘missed opportunity’ to regulate ferries.
In the absence of Government support Mr Robertson’s proposal did not pass, however, last week the Maritime Minister, Kier Mather MP, formally recognised the urgent need to address ongoing concerns over the reliability and affordability of ferry services to the Isle of Wight.
When pressed by Mr Robertson in the House of Commons, Mr Mather agreed that urgent action needs to be taken to resolve the longstanding issues that both Island MPs and local groups have been campaigning for.
He said:
“Again, the hon. Member makes a powerful point on behalf of his constituents—it is right to be frustrated by the affordability and reliability of ferry services to the Isle of Wight. I agree that urgent action needs to be taken to resolve the issues that he and his parliamentary colleagues are campaigning on. That is why it is incredibly important that we get a cross-Solent chair in place quickly, so that they can grip this issue. Fundamentally, though, we must work together to get the data necessary to create a single version of the truth, so that we can assess how to deal with these problems in the round on behalf of the hon. Member’s constituents.”
Joe Robertson MP welcomed the Minister’s acknowledgement, saying:
“The Conservative Opposition backs ferry regulation. Even the Government now accepts that the story the ferry companies tell about pricing, reliability and impact on local jobs and the economy cannot be relied upon. The Minister wants to understand the actual situation in detail as he knows prices and reliability are not acceptable. For too long, the ferry executives have held sway at the Department for Transport but that is now changing with our cross-party work and campaigning locally. I am looking forward to meeting the Minister and DfT officials again before Christmas to discuss the accurate facts and data that will lay the foundations for fixing this longstanding issue for Islanders.”
Following collaborative work between both Isle of Wight MPs, this recognition from both Westminster parties represents a significant step forward in efforts to ensure an affordable, dependable ferry service that supports Island residents, local employment, and economic stability.
