Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely met with the new minister for local growth funding, Dehenna Davison, to discuss the Island’s Levelling Up agenda and the case for a funding uplift last week.
This meeting continued Mr Seely’s campaign for a better deal for the Isle of Wight. Alongside improvements in education, transport, culture, health and social care, Mr Seely is pursuing a funding uplift for the Isle of Wight’s local authority, which considers the additional costs associated with providing public services to an island community.
Mr Seely has campaigned for a funding adjustment for a number of years. In December 2018, Seely convinced the government to recognise the Island’s ‘unique’ isolation, effectively marking the first time the Island’s circumstances have been explicitly acknowledged in the consideration of local government finance. In February 2021, Seely secured £50,000 of government funding to review the challenges faced by the council, residents and businesses on the island who are separated from the mainland.’
This report has provided evidence in favour of an uplift in Island funding: In February 2022, the Isle of Wight Council received a £1million pound funding uplift in recognition of the unique circumstances facing the Isle of Wight Council and its physical separation from the mainland.
In October 2021, the Island was allocated £5.8million in the first round of Levelling Up funding. This is being invested into a heavy-lift crane to improve Wight Shipyard’s capacity.
Mr Seely has also supported the Isle of Wight Council’s bid for the second round of Levelling Up funding. If successful, the submission will contribute towards the Island Green Link, a multi-million-pound sustainable transport project. The scheme is designed to develop sustainable transport availability to Islanders, and will improve walkways, bus routes and cycle paths.
The uplift comes in addition to the £48million government funding package won for upgrades to St Mary’s hospital, the £10million Community diagnostic centre being built on the Island, and the £5.3million uplift for Unavoidably Small Hospitals, like St Mary’s.
The Island has also received education funding during Mr Seely’s time in parliament: Isle of Wight College has won a share of £1.5 billion for Further Education, £25 million for facility upgrades, and was granted Institute for Technology status. The Isle of Wight Council also secured £800,000 for Special Educational Needs (SEN) schooling; they have since submitted a bid for a new Island-based SEN school.
Following the meeting, Seely said:
“I am delighted Dehenna has been given this position. I know that the councillors who met her at the Islands Forum were impressed. It was good to have the opportunity to explain the Island’s potential for levelling up and discuss its unique needs. I look forward to further meetings with her in future.”
Mr Seely has promised he will continue to push for more funding as part of his improved deal for the Island.
To level up properly you need to attract investment and create real jobs not just rely on government handouts. A affordable and reliable ferry service is key to this and without it it won’t happen so he could focus on that.
Also if we have opportunities to create well paid jobs (energy) we should encourage that and not drive them out as happened at Arreton. All that achieves is to deny the younger generation real opportunities and encourage them to leave. Or failing that we just carry on with the same old formula and be the poor mans relation in the country.
A very junior minister gave our boy the photo-op he wanted.
That’s all he’ll get.
Looks more like he was taking her out for dinner….. where were they, Beefeater?
So what???
I don’t care who he’s in a fight with, my money will always be on the other guy. I think he’s a loser.
Is there an election coming as Seldom Seen Seely is enjoying every photo shoot opportunity.. and another special deal for Islanders .. if you believe this .. then you deserve the conservative council .
When he, top councillors and that ilk, give up their cars and wobble about on a battery scooter, or sit with chavs on a bus, or cycle in the cold bitter wind and rain, then and ONLY then will I consider such.
They want others to do such to give them more freedom of the roads again.
Don’t do as I do, do as I say, well others can fall for the ‘save the planet’ but I would rather have a nice life, and until everyone goes green then why should I.
You can tell he must be in Westminster – the meeting room is equipped with salt, pepper and napkins.
Or possibly he’s getting confused between the island deal and a meal deal?
Excuse me, but if this Island had a tunnel to mainland, the council would not have to spend so much on ferry fares getting to an from the Island. More business and more jobs would be created.. islanders would have the freedom of movement anytime of day or night, off and onto this Island. Why are we made as prisoners here. / Why do Island people have to pay huge costs to be able to go to the mainland and back ? Commuting to mainland for work, is not affordable anymore.. many companies will not hire Isle of Wight people because of the ferries. They are not reliable.. and no late passenger ferries either… bloody long walk to Ryde town from Fishborne… Build a tunnel !!
the drivers on this island would block any tunnel within weeks of being allowed in…
Seely pretends to be doing something for The Island….