Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove MP, is to chair the next Island Forum meeting, which will take place on the Isle of Wight next month.
The 1st meeting took place on the Orkney Islands in September last year and was attended by Island communities, as well as senior government ministers and civil servants, from across the UK.
The Isle of Wight — the largest Island community in the UK — has now been chosen to host the next meeting which will take place on 24th and 25th May 2023. The venue has not been disclosed.
The transition to net zero dominated the group’s discussions last year and this time the theme will be ‘sustainable economic growth’, focussing on innovation and skills, with fringe sessions led by the Migration Advisory Committee and Shetland Islands Council.
Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox, said:
“The Islands Forum is a superb opportunity to establish the challenges for our islands, and continue my engagement with government ministers and civil servants to find the right steps to address our issues.”
The Forum has been a cross-party effort to help level up island communities by encouraging collaboration to tackle common challenges such as connectivity, infrastructure, demographic trends and explore opportunities including the transition to net zero. It also allows the government to hear and learn from Island communities to inform future policy.
Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has said:
“I am delighted that the Secretary of State is coming to the Isle of Wight, and I am delighted that the Island is hosting the 2nd ever Islands Forum meeting.
“The Islands Forum is a collective voice for the islands of the UK and a direct line to Government. As the Isle of Wight’s MP, I campaigned to make this happen because it is a way of the Isle of Wight, working with other islands, to make its voice heard at the heart of government.
“The Islands Forum is an opportunity for our Island, but also all the UK islands, to explain the challenges we face.
“I am sure we will give Michael Gove and all our guests from the UK’s wonderful islands a very warm Isle of Wight welcome.”
Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove MP adds:
“Island communities contribute richly to the UK and share their own unique set of challenges as well as opportunities.
“The Islands Forum creates a space for islanders to work together and give feedback directly to the Government, ensuring that Islands can be even better places for people to work and live.
“I am delighted that the inaugural forum in Orkney on net zero was a success and look forward to meeting with Islands representatives in May, at the next forum on the Isle of Wight.”
“Secretary of State for Levelling Up”
He is and his mates responsible for all the inequalities. What a joke. And what a criminal. The Tories have sold the UK to the highest bidder.
And sold the Isle of Wight down the river (of sewage).
Not to the highest. To any bidder.
Bobby Dazzler should give him a virtual tour around the likes of West Acre Park, Pennyfeathers etc and ask him if he thinks they are a ‘good thing for the Island’ OR a ‘bad thing for the Island’
I suspect the developers and all their brown-nosing Planning Dept chums will be keeping a low profile that day.
All he needs to know is we Don’t want fat cat builders, wrecking our Greenfield sites.
We want flora and fauna which is a natural way to reduce carbon …
We want an infrastructure to support the island as it !!!!
We Don’t want a concrete jungle….
You will end up with fields of younge people having to live in tents because there are insufficient houses if you carry on like that
Bob and lura are like turtles they only pop their necks and heads out when they get in the press.
Some one needs te tell dimwit gove this.
Oh great ” it’s like bringing the pigeons to the cat”
I’m sure that they will have a very nice nosh up (maybe Bob will put on a BBQ?), but absolutely nothing will change for the better of the island.
They’re on borrowed time this lot, and will get their levelling next general election.
The biggest thing that needs to be “levelled up” is access to the mainland. We are not treated the same as other communities in that we have two ferry companies charging absurdly expensive fares, where as elsewhere in this country they are not ‘ripped off’ the way we are!
Aside from the Isles of Scilly (where there is only one ferry a day), “elsewhere in the country” is, basically, Scotland where the car ferries are owned by the Scottish Government.
A period return (1 week) from Ardrossan to Arran for a car and two adults is £51 (sailing May 20th and returning May 27)
Same week and similar times for Cowes to Southampton is £197.
The CalMac fares are also fixed. Same price whatever the date, time, or time away. No fare lottery like we have here.
How honoured we are to have the governments slimiest turd floating over to us we are truly blessed.
This is fantastic news. I’m looking forward to seeing Mickey on home turf. We have lunch booked at the club. Scott and Donna will be coming. The Lord Lieutenant should also be there. Free wine paid for by the taxpayer. It should be a good do.
Blob let’s hope he does does a Jacob Reece-Mogg and bypasses the IWC clown club .. another photo op for pop up Bob.
The venue has not been disclosed? I wonder why? I have a perfect venue for them. The ocean Hotel on sandown seafront. Stunning seaview and plenty of air conditioning
The reason the Isle of sh*** council won’t disclose where the half Whits are meeting is so they can sweep us under the carpet. We don’t exist just bob and his muppet. Sorry puppet. This lot should be taken to high court for breech of human rights fraud theft by
deception and mass murder.
I wonder what his views are on the impact of Class A drugs on local communities?
That’s a levelling down issue. It’s probably at the forefront of his mind!
If they do build, which I don’t agree with, then start with making our hospital bigger
No point. They are unable to recruit staff for the facilities they already have. Making them bigger just means a bigger staffing problem.
Dig a tunnel and 75% of the islands problems will be solved.
Digging a tunnel would bankrupt the country. You haven’t got a clue how much it would cost.
YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A TUNNEL. YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A BRIDGE.
Your keyboard seems to be faulty.
Connectivity issues, hospital procedures, and many others would be solved instantly with a fixed link. Nothing will change otherwise
Are there any nightclubs left on the island for him to have a good old fashioned knees up afterwards
Priority: Ban Airbnb, retrospectively too. Allow only certain types of holiday-let accom, def not in regular housing. Bring back homes for the islanders that live here, work here on a day-to-day basis and serve the holiday makers that do come. The island is becoming more split by the day: you’re either poor or rich. Not going to end well.
Sorry but I hadn’t realised we are now living in Soviet Russia. What a load of twaddle. If you don’t like the island, you can just hiss off somewhere else.
If you don’t like Islanders fighting for the right to live and work on the place of their birth YOU can “hiss” off somewhere else.
I hope he has fun “levelling up” (whatever that means) before the Island sinks!