The Labour Government has confirmed that millions of pounds allocated to Ryde via a new Town Board will be delivered.
The previous Conservative Government announced that 75 UK towns, including Ryde, would benefit from £20million each of Government money, however, the new Labour Government cast doubt on the plans when it announced a review after winning the General Election earlier this year.
In a call with MPs after the Budget last Wednesday, Alex Norris, Minister for Local Growth, confirmed that all of the towns, including Ryde, will receive the money as originally promised.
The Town Board plans were originally due for submission to the Government in August of this year but in light of the delay imposed by the Chancellor, Ryde Town Board has been given until Spring 2025 to submit a final plan. Ryde has also been given an extra ‘capacity payment’ of £200,000 to improve and deepen the local consultation.
Substantive funding is expected to start in 2026 and last into the mid-2030s. The original themes of transport, heritage and community safety remain, however, the Minister has confirmed there will be a revised prospectus to reflect Labour’s priorities which should be incorporated into the final plan.
Joe Robertson, MP for Isle of Wight East and a member of Ryde Town Board, has welcomed the continuing commitment to the previous Government’s Long Term Plan for Towns:
“I am pleased that the new Government has confirmed that it is committed to Ryde Town Board and providing the £20 million in full. I joined with cross-Party MPs in Westminster to make the case for this programme continuing across the country.
“The Budget made for some fairly grim reading, especially for small businesses, but at least there is some good news for Ryde. A lot of work has already gone into Ryde Town Board’s draft plan, and we now have the opportunity to consult further with the local community and local businesses to ensure that we submit the best plan possible.
Article continues below this advertisement “The Minister was very strong on ensuring everyone has a chance to influence the plan, so I look forward to reopening our local consultation.
“I look forward to working with my fellow Ryde Town Board members, including its Chair Steve Holbrook, together with Ryde Town Council, the Isle of Wight Council and the whole Ryde community to ensure we make the best of this once in a generation opportunity.”
Use the money to install CCTV and speed camera’s in
Ryde, so many Roads are like speedways in Ryde.
We have CCTV in Ryde just nobody manning it, only recording. And then it takes the police a further 48 hours to access it and usually only if they think they see a crime being committed. Yet the police could if they wanted to, access the immediate footage from shopholder premises. There was a classic case of this outside Graces Bakery months ago which could’ve been resolved in an instant.
Great news for Ryde. What about Sandown? The poor relation as usual and gets nothing except higher council tax for Sandown residents.
and every single penny will be wasted on woke pc vanity projects and nothing useful will be done to halt the rot that is destroying the town, eyesores like the royal york and the semi derelict building in Melville street will continue to drag the town down.
You have to face it that our “wonderful” town council couldn’t organised a p**sup in a brewery but hey ho its is not their money they will throw away, it will be our taxes
Spend it wisely
Let’s hope they don’t waste it on a similar project
like the Ryde Interchange, personally I don’t like it,
it was much better before.
Spend the money wisely, they could always reduce the
Residents of Ryde’s 2025 Council Tax by about
£250.00 each, wouldn’t that be a nice gesture.
I’m sure they’ll do the right thing. They could buy up a number of dilapidated buildings, such as the ice rink and some empty shops and turn them into…..erm……um……something else……maybe……or not.
I would like to see some of the money used to repurchase the Ice Rink (which they sold to some american company which shut it down when the leas ran out). Our budding young skaters still have to travel to the mainland to train, plus our ice hockey team. To boot it was a good music concert venue to which could be improved upon. Plus, if Ryde owns it there will be no need to pay the astronomical rent which existed making it cheaper for families to use (as like the bowling rink vastly enjoyed).
Even stage mini dancing on ice events and I can think of many more.
Currently its just sat there doing nothing but threatening a travel lodge, thats fun?