The Island’s MP has called on the Government to use its powers to help address the problems Island residents face with repeated delays and cancellations on cross-Solent ferry services, along with increasing fares. During an emotive parliamentary debate on Tuesday afternoon (26th March), Mr Seely told government minister Huw Merriman MP about Islanders’ frustrations. He said:
“I will come straight to the point: the relationship between the ferry firms and the people of the Isle of Wight is breaking down. The ferries are a genuine lifeline; we have no choice but to use them. There is no public service obligation. We need to get a better deal.”
Mr Seely went on to highlight the problems:
“First, as I have said, the ferry firms have no legal obligation to meet timetables or standards of service above the minimum levels of safety required in law. The Island’s connectivity is entirely at the discretion of the firms, which are answerable to—and overwhelmingly driven by—the needs of their shareholders. “They have no public service obligation and no regulator, and they set their own service standards. “Secondly, the firms’ corporate structures and incredibly inflated valuations are becoming a critical issue for the Island. I also believe they are bad for the United Kingdom.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8H_rWkGRLVo Mr Seely put a series of questions to the Minister asking whether the Department for Transport would support a new ferry firm, what scope there was for the new Rail Bill to be applied to the Isle of Wight ferries, and with specific regard to the sale of Red Funnel, he asked what powers the Government has to a) block a sale and b) prevent the company from selling their third passenger ferry. He went on to suggest ideas:
- An independent regulator to oversee fair competition.
- Government regulation of timetables.
- Central government funding for healthcare-related visits to the mainland.
- Voluntary regulation whereby the ferry firms agree service levels through a formal process, potentially with enhanced powers for the Island’s Transport Infrastructure Board.
Mr Seely said he would be writing to the Competition and Markets Authority next week to ask about the scope for an inquiry into the ferries and how it could be initiated. The Minister replied:
“I know that my hon. Friend’s recent plan for the future of cross-Solent ferries, which I have in my hand, is the culmination of all his hard work. It offers a route map towards better services, better prices and ticketing, and greater transparency over the ownership structures of ferry operators. I can assure him that the Department for Transport will take time to digest the report thoroughly, and we will respond to all the questions he has asked me this afternoon.”
Last week Mr Seely launched a detailed report which highlighted the problems and potential solutions for cross-Solent ferries. He is seeking feedback from residents in the next 2 months. The report can be found at www.bobseely.org.uk/ferry-services.
So impassioned was his performance in delivering his ‘report’ that I thought he was going to cry at one point…
So anti- the business / company ownership model of Wightlink and Red funnel, that I almost forgot he was a Tory for a minute or two….
calling for government interventions and regulation….
And when he had finished,.. the (deputy) minister stood up and said (in effect)
“Na… we (conservatives) like private companies that make massive profits,.. it fits the conservative ethos,.. so if you don’t like it,.. you’ll just have to do something about it yourself”.
Bob Seely,.. about as much use as chocolate fire-guard
All he is really saying is “Please do something about the ferries or I am out of a job”. Sob sob sob …
Squealy Seely has been our MP since 2017. That’s getting on for 7 years. In that time, aside from the odd letter, he’s done nothing about the ferry problem.
So what’s different now.
Oh yeah, there’s an election coming.
And he’s almost certainly to lose his seat.
Desperate act by a desperate man.
Too little too late I’m afraid Mr Seely, we all know not a damn thing will be looked at before the General Election. This should have been brought up in Parliament a decade ago. Most of the islanders have been asking for government intervention for many years, but as usual, MP’s ignore the masses until the masses are needed for oneself.
A regulator is definitely required, otherwise the island will become more and more isolated. Investment is needed badly on all routes, old ferries on Red Funnel and Wightlink, as well as a lack of staff, plus Hovertravel using toys to try and run a ferry route.
Hopefully the new MP’s for the island and a new government can finally sort it out.
Seely!
Get over yourself…
EVERYONE KNOWS that there is a General Election on the cards. Up until a vast numbers if ‘Directors’ resigned from Red Funnel recently YOU were conspicuous in your silence!
Go Bob! Champion of the people! Especially when there’s an election coming up.
Too little too late sponge bob, you are only speaking now because it’s election year. You should be arrested as effectively you are a fraud and stole your yearly salary each year to benefit private companies and their shareholders.
Reform UK want to sort the ferries out, it said in their leaflet..they’re all over this ferry nonsense, big change for us if Reform get in, ferries will have to operate differently, no more fat cats..
Reform won’t form a government so their statements amount to just ‘Bull***t. Only the stupid will believe them.
better keep on voting the same way in the pathetic hope it’ll change then???..only the ‘stupid’ will vote labour or tory nxt election..
“only the ‘stupid’ will vote labour”
any only the totally ignorant/gullible would vote ‘Reform’
you only have to look at what their previous ‘raison d’être’ has done to this country (with massive help from the Tories), to see how bad they would make it…..
Could it be that Seely is a bit worried about the Boundary changes and he may lose his cushy little seat as an MP – I’m damned sure he doesn’t give a toss about the ferry service and prices, or the people on the Island
The ferries are a genuine lifeline; we have no choice but to use them.
you could always move to the mainland
and with specific regard to the sale of Red Funnel,
….
ahh selling it are they – thought as much, with all the directors legging it last week
“I can assure him that the Department for Transport will take time to digest the report thoroughly”
Not “We will treat this as a matter of urgency” or even “We will set up a committee to look into how the points raised can be addressed”
No, they are basically saying they are going to bury this report until the next election at which time it can be quietly ignored.
The responses to the questions will be basic, factual, and merely confirm what is already in the report.
Too little, to late.
I know that many people pull Mr Seeley apart without any understanding of how much work is actually done as a MP. For him to have undertaken all of this he has had to put it forward as a National Bill to allow the IOW a voice through him. Over decades I have lost faith with many politicians but I think Bob has grafted hard to unravel the complexities of our horrendous, overinflated and pitifully poor serviced, privately owned ferry companies. Before you all continue to slate Mr Seeley I suggest you listen to his speech in Parliament. I was so unaware of the depth of how these companies are run, true cash cows and as for being owned by communist China, wtaf!!!!
I think we ought to be thanking Mr Seeley rather than verbally abusing him
Sorry ….. but most would disagree with you, his delivery and understanding of the island needs has been a total disaster .. has no credibility.. just fake and shallow . New MP needed now ..
Everything in his badly written report (which I have read) could have been assembled from comments posted here in recent weeks. In fact, the comments on here provided greater detail about the issues. The report could have been written in an afternoon so don’t pretend it was a huge effort.
Scupper ferries, a fixed link solves all the problems, no timetable problems, no upgrading old boats, no big profits for boards, less staff to not appear or get sick. No cancellations.for bad weather.
7 days a week, 24 hours , access to more jobs for young people, more money tourists will spend when they don’t have to pay massive ferry fees.
fixed link creates more of its own problems – the ferries provide a barrier to entry to a lot of the undesirable dross that cannot afford to travel here and also limits the amount of people and cars that can turn up.
do you want to suddenly see caravans setting up home on tesco’s car park or outside your house.
You do realise that to build a tunnel it runs into many billions and then further billions to maintain and operate it.
the ferries are still a better option.
I’m wondering if you mean a fixed link across or through which IoW drivers drive, you must read the Island Echo, I mean the ones that can’t drive along an empty road without rolling their car onto it’s roof? That doesn’t seem a good idea to me. Or do you mean where trains run … how many times has Island Line had to cancel trains in the last year through breakdown or industrial action?
NEVER GOING TO BE A FIXED LINK. HOW MANY MORE TIMES DO WE HAVE TO GO OVER THIS? THE COUNTRY CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR A BRIDGE OR A TUNNEL AND THERE IS NO ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION FOR BUILDING A FIXED LINK TO THIS PISS-POT LITTLE ISLAND.
Honestly, this man makes me sick. He’s done nothing for this island, then low and behold it’s election year! He doesn’t really give a damn, I hope he loses his seat, he’s a useless sausage eating joke
What I got from this report is blah,blah,blah. Nothing will change.
There is no competition between Wightlink and Red Funnel – their pricing is clearly fixed by their little cartel. Of course, in the past, Wightlink was Sealink, and arm of the nationalised British Rail which could be influenced and regulated by Government…
It is a bit worrying that the Member of Parliament for the Island thinks that Ryde is 25 miles from Yarmouth. This is pretty basic stuff.
When Bob Sleazy says “We, the users, are paying through the nose to service investors’ debt….” He says it like we don’t know that he will actually claim all of his back through expenses. What a pathetic and false tale of woe he spins.
That’s all folks !! That’s the extent of Pop Ups involvement .. Now it will be kicked to the long grass .. ..
If Seely paid attention, he would know that the CMA have investigated the ferry companies already, & didn’t find anything wrong. They can’t be regulated, as you would have to regulate every ferry company in the UK, & that will never happen. The only way to sort out these constant problems is a fixed link. Jersey & guernsey are having viability studies performed, so why can’t we?
NEVER GOING TO BE A FIXED LINK. HOW MANY MORE TIMES DO WE HAVE TO GO OVER THIS? THE COUNTRY CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR A BRIDGE OR A TUNNEL AND THERE IS NO ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION FOR BUILDING A FIXED LINK TO THIS PISS-POT LITTLE ISLAND.
Well done and well said Bob and about time too!
We need two bridges one to go across the Solent and one at East Cowes to solve the floating bridge problem. We need to modernise and stop wasting money and stop relying on these rip off ferry companies . Stop burying our heads in the sand fight for our future and join the rest of our country instead of isolating ourselves on this little island. Our children need a better future than what is on offer at the moment. Two bridges can be the answere if enough people get behind it.