Maritime Minister Mike Kane has declined the opportunity to express support for the ownership model of Isle of Wight ferry operator Red Funnel during Transport Questions in the House of Commons today (Thursday).
The Minister was responding to concerns raised by Joe Robertson MP (Isle of Wight East), who is the Shadow Parliamentary Private Secretary for Transport. Mr Robertson challenged the high cost of crossing the Solent, highlighting that Red Funnel is controlled by Canadian pension funds and charges Island residents up to £400 for a return car ferry journey.
When asked directly whether he supported this ownership and pricing model, the Minister declined to give support. Instead, he confirmed that the Government is establishing a new transport forum to examine pricing, ticketing, and reliability of ferry services.
During the exchange, Joe Robertson MP said:
“Isle of Wight Ferry Company Red Funnel is controlled by Canadian pension funds. It’s unregulated and charges Isle of Wight residents up to 400 pounds for taking a return car ferry crossing. Does the Minister support that ownership model and pricing structure for a lifeline transport connection in the UK?”
In response, the Maritime Minister stated:
“I thank the Honourable gentleman for his question. I could say it can cost you more on the Avanti up to Manchester, but that doesn’t help his constituents in the Isle of Wight, who have been struggling for quite some time. That’s why I went to the Isle of Wight, met with the Honourable Member and the Council.
“We’re establishing a local transport forum there and we’ve agreed a number of ways forward looking at ticketing and pricing and reliability of those ferries on the island. And I will continue to promise to be engaged, but I need the Honourable Member’s help as well in this.”
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This exchange follows a meeting earlier in the week between Joe Robertson and the Minister for Devolution, Jim McMahon, who expressed his willingness to give a new Mayor for Hampshire and Isle of Wight powers over ferry companies.
Ferry fares are shocking considering the short distance.
How long before a return fare costs £1,000.00 !!
Well done Mr Robertson for keeping the pressure going and representing the Isle of Wight.
The country could save a good few hundred thousand
pounds a year employing just 1 island MP
The £90,000.00+ salary, monthly expense claims,
2nd house in London costs and pension costs.
The island only needs Joe Robertson
Where is the Labour IOW MP? This situation involves the whole Island, not just the east side. These ferry/Cat/Hover services affect the entire Island. Since the election nearly a year ago, the conservative MP has been far more vocal in many areas on Island issues. Quiggles is very quick to celebrate the latest growth figures and how good they are for the Island.
Does Quiggles not realise there is nothing to celebrate in this country at the moment, and that very much includes the Island, until real people experience and feel financially better and secure locally, his joy will be short-lived. Look around you, Quiggles no nobody is celebrating.
The ferries, etc, are a very destabilizing, sad reality for local life and are on their own more than capable of destroying the island’s economy and future growth. Do not for one moment think you have a safe seat, the last Whole Island Tory MP found that out!
Establishing a forum is all well and good but we all know that politicians make snails look like greyhounds. As for the new mayor for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, What mayor??
Doesn’t sound like the optimism following the Minister’s visit took long to evaporate. What is a ‘transport forum’ going to do. There has been plenty of talking. What is needed is action either in the form of a new ownership structure or a regulator or both. The lastthing we need is another talking shop.
Several things people commenting seem to have missed. Firstly, the Conservatives were never fazed by the ownership model, indeed they actively endorsed it at the time (free market economy and all that). Curious JR labours the point now, BUT in doing so it doesn’t appear to be so much of a dig at Labour per se but to maintain investment in the talks. Good for him on that score, but as he was AT the meeting they all had in Cowes, he already knew what the consensus was. It was that now was not the time to infer a wholesale takeover of RF or Wightlink to enact a better pricing model, and that there is more than one way to skin a cat.
Secondly though is that in his answer, Mike Kane has NOT endorsed the current ownership model of pension funds and high profits, thanks to the carefully worded question from JR. Rather makes one wonder which side JR is batting for…he’s beginning to sound more Labour than Labour. Not sure what Kemi Badenough will make of that though.
Up to £400, who is being charged that on a regular basis? I know it depends when one is travelling. Do away with dynamic pricing perhaps.
Anyway, yesterday I made a return car journey to Soton on Red Funnel for £49.50, just saying.
Just as we all thought. Plenty of talk and meetings with all expenses paid, but no real action or problems solved. Typical civil service.