Just days after the state of the Isle of Wight’s ferry services was raised in the House of Lords, Island MP Bob Seely has pressed the Government to look at stronger measures to protect the public interest over cross-Solent ferries.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Mr Seely told minsters: “The ferry services fall down too often.”
This speech is the latest part of Mr Seely’s ongoing campaign to improve the Island’s ferry service and follows a letter to ministerial officials, as well as a meeting with Minister Robert Courts last week. Earlier this week Lord Berkeley also raised concerns about the cross-Solent ferry operators in the House of Lords, as previously reported by Island Echo.
Mr Seely detailed his requests on the Island’s behalf, asking that government oversee ferry timetables directly, that the Treasury provide support for a possible third company to rival Red Funnel and Wightlink’s car ferry service, that government limit or regulate the debt levels of large transport companies or that government extend mandatory compensation legislation to cover the Island’s ferries. Such legislation would mean that those delayed by late ferries must be adequately compensated.
Bob also made the case for a public service obligation to be imposed on cross-Solent transport providers. A public service obligation would legally mandate ferry providers to run a certain number of services each day and at certain times.
He told Parliament:
“First, following up on the letter that I wrote, can the Government take the power to oversee ferry timetables in the same way that the Rail Minister does with rail timetables?
“Secondly, especially because we have a Treasury Minister here, will the Treasury support a national infrastructure bid potentially by a new ferry operator – a free-market alternative – to get a new player into the market, especially if it is a community interest company that will keep a low debt level and a more affordable price structure for Islanders?
Article continues below this advertisement “Thirdly, will the Government look at other measures and potentially take other controls over ferry firms, for instance through looking at their debt level? … the privatisation of Wightlink did not work, and that company has been loaded up with debt by corporate sharks over the years. That debt gets paid for every time an Islander uses the ferry service, and it is frankly unfair. I also question whether it is right for public services, be they Wightlink or Southern Water, to be owned ultimately by companies based in offshore tax havens. It is not right and it is not good for us that that practice continues.
“Fourthly, can we look at extending the EU261/UK261 regulations, which cover air travel, to cover the ferry firms?
Mr Seely also made the case for a public service obligation to be imposed on cross-Solent transport providers. A public service obligation would legally mandate ferry providers to run a certain number of services each day and at certain times.
Bob added:
“Fifthly, can we add public service obligations, either supported or unsupported by the taxpayer? Will the Government support the Isle of Wight Council or the Department for Transport taking a share in Wightlink or potentially Red Funnel? Will the Government also look at a cap on costs for those travelling to the mainland for health-related travel? Unlike the Isles of Scilly, we do not have the same beneficial arrangement, and those costs are sometimes higher than they are for other people.”
You can legislate all you like, if it breaks down, it breaks down.
also – if they try to force schedules, that run at a loss, then those running costs of extra staff, extra fuel etc are passed onto the fare paying customers, as there will be no subsidy.
If you demand public funding, then you will find that all islanders will face a “ferry levy” in their council tax to pay for this funding.
be careful what you wish for.
Whilst I am not overly happy at the seemingly endless cancellations of wightlink and red funnel, these should be managed internally and not at the expense of the islanders in higher taxes to pay for public funding.
Central Government won’t want to know. I don’t think they have any intension in taking back control from the private sector.
For all those who keep banging on about a fixed link, there is a solution, move to the mainland. I moved with my family to this Island because although it has problems (just like every where else) life is still much better over here then on the mainland.
ABSOLUTELY AGREE. A fixed link is not what the island needs, it wouldn’t be an island then would it. ..DOH!!!! There are enough drug related crimes happening now, if we got a fixed link, God help the Isle of Wight. All the low life would jump in their cars, come over here and cause misery, selling their filthy drugs. No, a fixed link is not what we need at all, and that is certainly not a selfish comment!!!
Of course there would be delays and possible long closures due to accidents with no alternative route because there would be no more ferries. It wouldn’t help Island businesses as the Island would just become a dormitory area for Southampton and Portsmouth. It would be a lose lose. If the ferrise cause you too much problem, move back to the mainland.
It would be nice to think that someone in Government would listen but in reality, if they do anything at all, they will just count the number of crossings in the timetable, ignore the prices and tells us what a great service we have.
They know we really need a subsidised service with public service obligations but that costs money so the only way it would ever happen is if we became a marginal seat. (better still two)
Maybe OUR BOB would like to have a word to the power ABOVE for divine weather and mechanical perfection
Get real !
However pricing is an area he just might try to sort ( if only )
Please remember that both the poor performing and ludicrously expensive ferry companies are ultimately owned (as Seeley put it) by “corporate sharks”.
Despite their feeble protestations the ferry companies have no real interest in the well-being of Islanders. Their overriding responsibility is to provide as big a profit as they can for their corporate shark owners like the disreputable Australian bank that owned Wightlink for years and abandoned it after milking all the profits.
Any realistic government elsewhere in the world would have built a cross-Solent rail/link tunnel years ago to provide carry foot passengers and goods.
How about we the islanders chip in 2k each and buy one of the ferry companies and we run it as a low profit organisation, we save X amount per year for future investment and maintenance etc and return any other profit to its owners, us, the islanders.
A bridge or tunnel wouldn’t be unreliable would it .?
“Fall down too often,” is putting it mildly when Island folk (real ones born here, with only one house to live in) are held to ransom by exorbitant fares. Poor old Bandwagon Bob has momentarily forgotten his family have shares in a couple of rip-off ferry services. Ah, but of course he’d like the government to give him more money…!
I returned from the mainland last night – eventually. I missed my booked ferry by ten minutes and asked that queue for a place on the next one. Not possible, I was told, the ferries are fully booked and the next one with places available is midnight, five hours away. It turned out that the ferries were fully booked because the upper decks were not being used. Winter schedule I was told and they didn’t have the staff. The service on Wightlink, flashy new boats aside, has gone from bad to worse. I waited five hours last night at Wightlink’s convenience.