Vital transport links to the mainland for people living on the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly have been safeguarded during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to an emergency package of up to £10.5 million, granted by the government.
The funding – agreed jointly by the Department for Transport and Her Majesty’s Treasury – will support the continuation of crucial passenger ferries to the Isle of Wight as well as sea and air links to the Isles of Scilly over the next 3 months.
The Isle of Wight will receive £1.5million a month from April to June to support the ferry operators.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said:
“Lifeline transport services remain fundamental to everyday lives, and by taking action today, we are helping ensure communities can access healthcare and essential goods and services.
“We should all be inherently grateful to transport operators who are providing vital services across the country at this difficult time and we will continue to back them and the critical work they carry out”.
Council leader, Councillor Dave Stewart, said:
“The ferry operators serving the Island have made enormous efforts to ensure lifeline services are maintained during these very difficult times – and I am very pleased to see that the government has recognised this through crucial financial support.
Article continues below this advertisement “The operators have been working closely and in a co-ordinated fashion alongside our transport infrastructure board and with the crucial support and help of our MP. The co-operation and dialogue involving all parties and with the government has played a key part in achieving this support and national acknowledgment. I would particularly like to thank the ferry operators, MP Bob Seely and board chairman Christopher Garnett for all their work on behalf of Islanders.
“I would also like to remind people of the message that all travel should only be for essential journeys unless for work if you can’t stay at home.”
Transport infrastructure board chairman, Christopher Garnett, said:
“This funding will be provided to the council to allocate to Red Funnel, Wightlink and Hovertravel – and is based around the latest revised timetable of services announced recently.
“It will serve to further support and underpin the maintenance of effective and robust services to the Island at this critical and challenging time. It also recognises the enormous efforts the ferry operators, their management teams and staffs have made during these past few weeks – both in continuing to provide services and in working tirelessly and very closely for the benefit of Island residents and businesses.”
Bob Seely MP has said:
“This deal will ensure supplies of essential food and medicine will continue, that urgent medical treatment can be accessed by those who need it and key workers can continue to come to St Mary’s and other sites.
“I am grateful to Ferries Minister, Kelly Tolhurst, for engaging in numerous conversations with me on cross-Solent travel over the past few weeks, as well Treasury ministers for signing off this support package.
“I would like to reassure Islanders that this does not mean that visitors will now be coming to the Island. It means that cross-Solent ferry operators can maintain a lifeline service which also meets the requests of the IOW NHS Trust.”
Today’s news follows the temporary suspension of competition law to allow the Isle of Wight’s ferry operators to work together to continue to run essential services despite reduced usage during the virus, maintaining a vital route for those who cannot work from home and those needing medical treatment.
WHY? Have a read of this on Companies House and Wightlink and Red Funnel for sure don’t need hand outs from the government.
Wightlinks details:
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/01059267/filing-history
Red Funnel details:
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10823670/filing-history
The best thing they can do is give that cash to St Marys essential workers, and NOT the management.
@Mark – perhaps you could elaborate on why you think that these ferry companies do not need money from the government to continue operating, when they have no revenue coming in to pay the staff, fuel the boats and pay for the upkeep of those boats?
Wightlink spent over £51m last year to make an operating profit of £17m – the balance sheet shows a net current asset position of £46m – doesn’t take a genius to work out, that they cannot continue operating, on the assumption that the current assets will be enough to cover operating cash flows and even if they were, they would run out of money in 11 months.
You cannot switch a business like this off and on again – once it is off, it takes months and months to build up revenue again, to be able to become self sustaining.
They need the support of government as do the others, or all three ferry companys simply shut up shop and then what – no food for the islanders, nothing, nada, zilch.
and no, no one will be building any effing tunnel
At the end of the day the operating companies (not the group companies) make high profit multiples under normal circumstances, and that is why many people are irked about a bailout. The bailout could have been made as a loan or guarantee of some sort, as other businesses are now pushed into. And customers are still paying for sailings of a reduced service, so there is revenue coming in, albeit they are operating on the bone for a very short period (compared to decades of normal circumstances).
Don’t just give them the money, get a share in the company then they’ll not have us by the balls
They could always help the Island out pro bono to protect what is their fatted calf! A long term view perhaps?
What the hell , do they make 1.5 million a mouth
So self employed have to go by there tax returns to get 80 percent of there earning.
Yet again this just shows how company’s are taking the piss .
Money going to money , they say we are doing this and that and telling us what we want too hear and rubbing there hand together .
If it was not for the island,these companies would not exist and yes we need them but come on show some thought for those who are struggling.
Just a thought would a bridge or tunnel need a government hand out mmmmmm one thinks not
In normal times I suspect their operating costs are in excess of £7 million per month.
So money goes to money again, so freight and emergency travel now FREE, I think not. Current ferries are not running empty and still charging highest in the world for such a short journey. Maybe we should give millions to support premier football plays and top actors, they struggle to feed themselves
top it up with the drone money we could could be on the way to getting a fixed link. Funny money can be found sometimes and not others.
Unbelievable. Yet again, the ferry companies just cannot loose!
The ferry companies have been crippling island residents with sky high fares for years and within a few months of crisis are getting handouts from the government — no doubt with the help of seldom-seen-Seeley who has been linked to the ferry cartel.
And also no doubt the chief executives of the ferry companies and all their directors will still get nice fat bonuses this year regardless! Meanwhile us poor punters still have to put up with extremely high fares and barely-acceptable service.
The better solution would have been to either loan the money to the ferry companies, or buy a share of the businesses to promote more accountability and better regulation, selling it back later on with profit to the taxpayer.
They must be laughing all the way to the bank. Bring on the tunnel.