Island-based Conservative campaigner Ian Wellby has called on Parliament to investigate the Island’s ferry companies, arguing cross-Solent travel represents a critical lifeline service ill-suited to unregulated private ownership.
In a submission to the Transport Select Committee’s call for evidence, he outlined the adverse impact of poor cross-Solent connectivity on Islanders, highlighting issues ranging from limiting access to specialist mainland healthcare treatment through to poor inter-connectivity with the national rail network.
The submission also stressed that high fares and irregular services are holding back the Island’s economy, citing problems such as expensive and slow business deliveries through to people traveling to and from work who rely on a regular service often being let down.
He notes that in 2020, government tacitly recognised the importance of cross-Solent transport via direct subsidy in exchange for minimum service guarantees, and suggests that further government invention is required to deliver a higher level service, more in line with subsidised Scottish island ferry provision.
Ian is vying to be selected by the local Conservative party to become the Isle of Wight East candidate at the next General Election.
Ian’s submission follows a request made in December 2020 by Conservative MP Bob Seely and the-then Isle of Wight Council Leader Councillor Dave Stewart calling on the then Union Connectivity Review to investigate cross-Solent travel.
Commenting on his submission to the Select Committee, Ian said:
“Islanders are the victim of a botched privatisation leaving cross-Solent transport exclusively in the hands of private companies providing services entirely at their own discretion, without any public service obligation typically associated with lifeline infrastructure. This has resulted in the high ticket prices, lack of winter services and the poor railway connectivity we suffer from today.
Article continues below this advertisement “Poor cross- Solent travel is also holding back Island businesses, with issues ranging from expensive and slow business deliveries through to declining late-night hospitality demand, all linked to poor cross-Solent services.
“Whichever way you look at it – the Island gets a bad deal versus other regions of the UK. Scottish ferries are subsidised (through the Barnett formula) by the UK Government, with fares kept low via a “Road Equivalent Pricing” structure, whilst patients travelling to the mainland from the Isles of Scilly have their fares capped to just £5. Our problems won’t be solved via complaints and petitions alone – we also need meaningful intervention from the highest level. I therefore hope the Transport Select Committee will now listen to our concerns and investigate the imposition of a public service obligation on cross Solent travel, and finally deliver the meaningful long-term improvement in connectivity Islanders deserve.”
Nothing will change
It all just hot air.
We live in hope, don’t forget that these ferry company share holders and CEOs have alot of influence with Government,end of day it’s all about them making huge profits, not for benefiting the community of IOW. Should come back into public ownership.
Ian – you need to do better than this – regurgitating the drivel that former councillors and politicians have trotted out, isn’t going to win you votes.
the ferry companies provide services in line with demand – in other words – they are structured to the times where most travel. With more working from home and less travel being undertaken, there are far less travelling than before – that means less ferries.
stop demanding that taxpayers pay higher taxes to subsidise ferries, so that you have less of a wait for one of the 5 platforms of trains in portsmouth.
more ferries, with less on them, means more CO2 emissions, higher running costs and higher ticket prices – get a grip will you and stop peddling your own book for votes.
ian says…whilst patients travelling to the mainland from the Isles of Scilly have their fares capped to just £5.
…
NHS patients travelling to portsmouth on the Hovercraft pay a round trip of £10.80 – which includes use of the wessex cancer trust, free minibus from directly outside Hovertravels terminal in southsea to QA hospital and back – in other words £5.40 each way, from Ryde to the Hospital in portsmouth
overnight or longer, Hovertravel still charge £10.80 to an NHS patient.
try again Ian and this time, do some research first.
You think that is acceptable?
For someone living in the PO or SO postal areas on the mainland, an outpatients appointment will usually involve a couple of hours off work and a few £ in petrol money.
For someone living on the Isle of Wight a mainland outpatient appointment will cost over £10 for the ferry, plus the parking fee and petrol to get to the ferry terminal and, probably, a full day off work.
Then there are the delays and cancellations.
And that is for a reasonably fit patient. If the patient is infirm there is a whole extra level of pain (often literal) and inconvenience.
yes I do….because unlike you I don’t sponge off the state and don’t expect to be carried, cradle to grave by others.
how about you actually make an effort in life instead of expecting everything to be at your doorstep…entitled leeches.
The point you’re missing is that HoverTravel choose to do this, there’s no legal obligation on them and they could just as easily choose not to do it at a moment’s notice. The same goes for the other cross-Solent operators.
And if you’re one of the growing number who can’t get NHS dental treatment on the island, forget about discounted travel to the mainland for an appointment – none of the operators offer that.
Not expecting the government to do anything about it though because they’ve had two years already and not even bothered to respond. I doubt even a looming general election will overcome that level of disinterest in our issues.
stop crying and stand on your own two feet and go where the services are instead of expecting everything to come to you
fed up listening to whiny freeloaders
Why should you get discounted travel to have an appointment, just because part of the journey is over water? – I travel seven miles to my dentist – I do not get a discount on travel – the self entitlement is breathtaking – how about you simply pay your way in life, instead of begging off others.
Election spiel, don’t hold your breath.
Lots of the right noises now, but I bet it goes quiet after the election, whichever way it goes.
seeley won’t do anything as i understand he and his family have shares in Red Funnel so if fares were forced down the shareholders would get less in dividends, to expect action from him is like expecting a turkey to vote for Christmas.
Another “free market” Tory advocating State intervention. Quite why he is in the Conservative party is a mystery. If elected will never get on with the Tory headbangers, he will just be considered an irrelevance and ignored.
Bloke thinks he’s just come up with a great idea,that nobody else had ever thought of. Who’d have thought that the privatisation was botched? When was that done? How many tories since? I blame Jeremy Corbyn, myself.
I fully support any effort to renationalise & re-regulate what are Essential Transport Links between IOW & Portsea Island & Southampton.
We NEED A TUNNEL..
ferries are useless when they break.. or need servicing, or bad weather.. short staffed..
twenty years I would have said no. But the Tories and Labour have allowed these companies to do what the like. So we’re left with no option.
In recent months, I’ve crossed via Portsmouth to Fishbourne (return). Although I’ve booked online, preferring to travel on Wightlinks flagship, ‘Victoria of Wight’, I’ve found that vessel to be frequently out of order. Even when the vessel is running, the cleanliness of their supadupa ship is appalling.
The gent’s toilets in the cubicles are black, literally. The poor cleanliness of Wightlinks toilets makes the old Seaink ones look amazing. Wightlink staff on the Victoria of Wight tell me they don’t have enough staff to clean the toilets between sailings. Yet Wightlink is more than happy to charge customers astronomical prices for a shitty (literally) sailing.
It’s the Tories that removed so much regulation that has made the ferry companies the pirates of the Solent. He’s basically saying, we fucked it all up, please let us fix it, promise. We’ll not just give them loads of tax payer money so they can give the management big bonuses. We’ll never do that. Honest……
Just scrap all the cross Solent Travel and build a bridge.
Sick of their constant failings.
What a improvement this would be.
This government doesn’t build anything, why would you expect them to build a bridge?
if the portsmouth ryde ferries were still owned by british rail they would be on strike, look at island railways cannot run driver off sick
Is there an election coming ? As the me me me….. brigade are taking every vote winning fib .. they can think of ..
Red funnel & Wight link quite frankly are a disgrace, How they can charge what they do for the absolute abysmal appalling service they offer to the islanders who need to work on mainland or have critical appointments with the hospital etc is just disgusting. Staff have no concept of the real world as they are brainwashed in there retail bubble by the system, young naive workers employed as they are so short staffed now they’ll take on anybody.They have no empathy when boats are cancelled and people are stressed – id be embarrassed to work for those two companies & im embarrassed when friends or relatives visit having to pay the price they do.Get Fran working in the ticket office so she can see the pain and shambles she’s caused.