Isle of Wight ferry services will not be nationalised says Government
Isle of Wight ferry users say they are “disappointed” after the Government ruled out nationalisation and an intervention on pricing.
Ahead of last week’s visit from transport minister Mike Kane, a number of Islanders wrote to the Department for Transport (DfT) sharing concerns over reliability, cost and timetabling.
Read more: MPs react after Government rules out nationalisation
They all received similar responses, saying that although “some progress was made” during the roundtable event, Government will “not consider” nationalisation or the introduction of Public Service Obligations (PSO).
A PSO is an agreement where a governing body ensures a minimum level of service.
The letters added “commercial decisions on company ownership and pricing remain a matter for the companies concerned and the department is unable to comment or intervene.”
Jackie and Paul Devonshire, who penned one of the letters, said the “content isn’t surprising, more disappointing really”.
The letter, dated April 29, went on to add that, following last week’s roundtable, the Government has committed to establishing a Transport Infrastructure Forum.
“Departmental officials and ferry operators will also look to have further discussions on how to facilitate agreement on a set of facts about the market in terms of both a) timetabling/number of services and b) reliability/punctuality”, it reads.
Following the roundtable on April 23, IW East MP Joe Robertson said the Government is going to stay involved and the DfT had agreed to look at pricing, timetables and reliability.
Meanwhile, IW West MP Richard Quigley said the DfT 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.”
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.
Mr Robertson (Conservative) has previously called for ferries to be nationalised.
In December, he said cross-Solent operators should be included in Government plans to nationalise the railways, saying it would be “unjust” not to do so.
“The rationale for action on trains and buses is to improve experience, reliability, and cost for transport users”, he said.
“All those arguments apply to ferry users with the added issue that Islanders are entirely reliant on them.”
Ahead of the General Election, Mr Quigley (Labour) said ferry ownership should be taken away “from the roulette wheel of private equity”.
“A new referral to the competition and markets authority needs to take place”, he previously said.
