Isle of Wight East MP Joe Robertson has called on local council leaders to support him in renaming the proposed Combined Mayoral Authority to properly reflect the Isle of Wight’s inclusion.
The Government’s current devolution proposal refers to the new authority as ‘Hampshire and Solent’, despite the Isle of Wight being one of the two counties involved. Robertson argues this naming choice is “demeaning to the Isle of Wight and its 140,000 residents” and fails to acknowledge the Island’s identity and status.
In a letter sent to the leaders of Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council, and Isle of Wight Council earlier this week (Thursday), Robertson urges them to jointly press the Government for a name change to ‘Hampshire and Isle of Wight’.
He also revealed that he has tabled an amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill currently before Parliament, which would require any such Mayoralty covering the Isle of Wight to include the Island’s name.
Although the name “Hampshire and the Solent” originated from the initial Expression of Interest submitted by the councils, Robertson believes that strong local leadership can help reverse that decision.
Robertson has also raised the issue directly with the responsible minister and written separately to the Government requesting the name change.
Joe Robertson MP says:
“I am respectfully asking council leaders to write to the Government in support of this change. With my amendment, cross-party support, and the clear good sense of including the Isle of Wight by name, I believe the Government will do the right thing and give our community equal acknowledgement in any upcoming devolution deal.”
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Well he’s got it right hasn’t he, and the proposed title does confirm what most Islanders think about the devolution plan proposed for us. So many of us have seen so many times before what shared resources between the mainland and the Island actually means! We always get a poor deal and this current scheme looks like we’ll get a poor deal again!
As far as Whitehall are concerned they have no idea that the Isle of Wight exists
Whitehall are to busy working from home
on full pay and full london weighting.
“it’s no wonder the blackhole is £50 Billion”
Too many civil servants doing F’All!
Well done Joe, too often the Island is overlooked!
As much as I agree with Joe, it’s abit pointless changing the name to include isle of wight let me explain my reason,
When it comes to voting for a mayor (which is not need just a waist of taxpayer money) the isle’s vote won’t make a difference with only a population of 140,000 when Southampton has 270,000 and Portsmouth has 208,000 to start with and total Hampshire population at 1.4m that makes the isle of wight vote at about10% so when it comes to voting the isle has no voice and we just have put up with what Hampshire want just like when Donna Jones won the Police and Crime Commissioner vote she wasn’t the isle’s choice.
You are spot on.