Government to review Isle of Wight ferry prices after Mike Kane visit
The government has ‘agreed’ to look at pricing, timetables and reliability of Isle of Wight ferry services in the wake of a ministerial visit to the Island, the MP for IW East has said.
Joe Robertson and IW West MP Richard Quigley met with Mike Kane MP, minister for aviation, maritime and security, for a roundtable event in Cowes yesterday (Wednesday).
The purpose of the forum was to ‘facilitate discussion on the perceived issues affecting people’s ability to rely upon vital Isle of Wight ferry services’.
Red Funnel CEO Fran Collins, CEO of Wightlink Katy Taylor, council leader Phil Jordan and outgoing managing director of Hovertravel, Neil Chapman, were also present at the meeting, as was Sir Paul Kenny, former leader of the GMB union and a prominent campaigner for better ferry services.
Read more:
- Ferry campaigner confronts Transport Minister on Cowes Esplanade
- “We’ve been plundered”: ferry users stage protest as Minister visits Island
Before it could get underway, however, Mr Kane was greeted by a demonstration from ferry campaigners wearing pirate outfits and holding placards reading ‘no more doubloons for ferry tycoons’ and ‘we’ve been plundered’.
He was confronted by Bronwyn Hamilton Brown, of the Wightlink Users Group (WUG), who urged him to take ferry users “seriously”.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), following the meeting, Mr Kane said: “I was pleased to bring together local MPs, councillors and ferry operators on the Isle of Wight to discuss the issues around ferry services.
“I hope all parties can now deliver for local people, ensuring access to reliable, affordable journeys.”
IW West MP Richard Quigley (Labour) said the meeting was “frank, constructive, and focused on solutions”.
He said: “The Department for Transport has committed to exploring a range of options, and the Minister has assured us he will remain personally involved as we work to deliver a better deal for the Island.”
He added: “This long-overdue discussion marks a significant step forward on an issue I’ve been working on relentlessly since being elected in July.”
Mr Quigley said he also met with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and Mr Kane last month to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, Mr Robertson (Conservative) said the ‘key takeaway’ from the forum was that the Government is going to stay involved and the Department for Transport has agreed to look at pricing, timetables and reliability.
He said: “I remain of the firm view that the ferry companies alone cannot be relied upon to make the scale of changes needed – they’ve had 20 years.
“The unregulated private equity model is broken and that’s why we need Government involvement with cross-party working locally.”
