With the Labour government now 14 months into office, the Isle of Wight Labour Party has taken the opportunity to reflect on how national changes have affected the local community.
An Isle of Wight Labour Party spokesperson has said:
“It’s a good start but 14 months of work was never going to reverse 14 years of neglect, which left parts of the Island amongst the most left behind in the country. Still, with the Island’s inclusion in the Devolution Priority Programme – bringing £44.6 million of new funding to our area each year for the next 30 years- and Labour delivering the first multi-year funding settlement for our Council in over a decade – under a reformed set of funding formula which islanders are already seeing the benefit of, in everything from the £3.1 million boost to recycling services, to the uplift to our Social Care Grant, which supported pay rises for Island Care Workers- our Plan For Change offers Islanders real hope for the future.
Article continues below this advertisement “Labour is investing in the Isle of Wight: our transport, education, healthcare, and environment. And we will continue to invest in the Island, delivering for you, your family and your community.”
Let’s look at 14 changes delivered here on the Isle of Wight
- Island Line services amongst the first brought back into public ownership under Labour’s Passenger Railways Services Act.
- Expanding the Isle of Wight’s fleet of ambulances with £1.5million of funding delivering 8 new ambulances, including two fully electric vehicles, with further funding for solar charging infrastructure.
- 2 Island schools amongst the first in the country where children are benefitting from Labour’s Free Breakfast Clubs – saving Island families up to £450 per child; with further savings for families thanks to expanded eligibility to free school meals.
- Major upgrades to St Helens Medical Centre, creating additional space to see more patients and improve patient care; as part of £9.1 million of public health grants for the Isle of Wight announced since July 2024.
- £1.3 million for new fully electric busses, serving Islanders and visitors alike.
- Ended the exodus of NHS dentists, with over 30,000 additional urgent dental care appointments across Hampshire & the Isle of Wight, and 2 new dental practices in development.
- Over £750,000 of new funding to create more SEND places in Island schools, with The Bay CE Secondary School in Sandown, the first to announce an expansion of SEND provision – beginning our journey to supporting all Island children to achieve & thrive in their local school.
- Protecting Islanders’ homes and businesses with £2million investment in flood defences programmes.
- First-of-its-kind Cross-Solent Group set up to address Islanders’ long-standing ferry problems, with the Prime Minister personally appointing the chairperson.
- 3 new Family Hubs opening in Newport, Ryde & Sandown, delivering a raft of support for young families, coming on top of nearly £1 million of new funding for Early Years Support
- Funded childcare doubled to 30 hrs a week – delivering savings of £7,500 for the parents of up to 1,964 Island children, while helping Island businesses keep skilled staff and widen the talent pool available to boost productivity and raise living standards.
- Repairing the Island’s roads with a first of its kind £1.6million pothole grant.
- Refused public funding for the proposed Solent Co2 Pipeline – putting an end to the oil giant’s plans to carve up the Island.
- Boosted our local Police service with £5,187,776 of funding, giving every community a named police officer and enabling the reopening of Shanklin Police Station.
What’s the point of reflecting on failure
great statements, I haven’t seen any of this?
please could you show me?
The only thing you deliver is tyranny, hate and shit…
And Blairs Draconian controlling digital ID’s
Hogwash time: electric buses, only on a pitiful handful of routes, island line closing for another month soon, so that worked well NOT, SEND places in school, not needed, not essential, Nor protecting ANY businesses with the NI hike, loads of places shutting down, looks like Sandown pier might shut soon, well done Liebour.
The best thing about Sandown pier shutting down is that
persons will no longer evade paying parking charges.
Just look at the pedestrianised walkway opposite
the pier outside the old tourist information centre
“FULL OF VEHICLES EVADING PARKING CHARGES THAT
YES OTHERS HAVE TO PAY!”
Close it down they have been making too much money for years.
They even charge £1.75 to use the ATM, even though
customers use the ATM to spend the money on the pier.
The owners ruined the pier by closing down the theatre
and filling it with clapped out fruit machines.
When the machines go wrong you have to wait ages
for a member of staff to show up, most of them stand
outside the pier smoking and vaping.
“Also the pier harbours drunks and druggies”
It used to be a nice place, not any more.
I have not heard their cousins in Shanklin get the
violin out.
The owners of the pier could do so much more by
not being so greedy.
I could tell them how to run a decent pier, they need to
take a trip off the island and visit seasides that have
successful piers.
What’s happening to Sandown Pier? Can’t imagine that closing?
It’s a sign of the times.
The Pier is very run down, very damp in parts,
mens toilets smell.
Plus who can afford to lose money in today’s
tough economic times.
Total catastrophe, roll on Thieves budget.
Bankruptcies galore!
All part of their WEF Bosses plan
You will own nothing and be happy
As a lifelong Labour supporter I will never vote for them again. What was once a party for the common person is now on a self destruction path. Pensioners, small business owners and genuine patriots will never vote for a party that has truly shafted them. I will exercise my right to vote at the next general election – hopefully the Raving Monster Looney Party will be fielding a candidate – they couldn’t do a worse job than the present government
This lot are not real Labour,
Jeremy Corbyn was real Labour.
Jeremy would never have attacked his own
people, he would have taxed the large corporations
such as Amazon etc.
This lot are targeting the ordinary people and small businesses.
I would never vote for anyone again, they all give
false promises pre elections and then go back on their
promises when they get in power.
Will Farage do the same if he gets in!
It makes one wonder if they all are working for the
same Elite bosses.
They all seem to sing from the same hymn sheet.
Deluded, if they think wrecking the economy and alienating much of the populace is a good start. I dread to think of what else they have in store for us. I come from a Labour voting party and my father was a Labour politician from the fifties to the eighties but I’ll never ever vote for these turkeys. .