Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, spoke during Prime Minister’s Question Time today (Wednesday), highlighting the need for Isle of Wight council to receive a fairer funding settlement – the Island Deal – based on the additional costs of providing services on the Island.
Seely: This injustice has been ongoing now for 50 years
Mr Seely asked,
“The Island has been getting a better deal in recent years and I thank the PM for that especially before he was a Prime Minister when he was working with me in different roles in Government to make that happen and I am grateful.
“However, the Island remains the only sizeable island in the UK without a fixed link, separated from the Mainland by sea which does not receive a funding uplift to support local Government services. And this injustice has been ongoing now for 50 years and all the evidence, Mr Speaker, shows that it costs more to provide local services on an island than on the Mainland.
“Will the PM work with me with his ministers to overcome this injustice this year?”
Sunak: I will ensure that he does get a meeting with the Minister
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, replied,
“Can I thank my honourable friend for his continued campaigning on behalf of his constituents. I was a pleasure to spend many happy childhood holidays on the Island and I enjoyed visiting him there more recently as well.
“The Isle of Wight council will benefit from a 10 per cent increase in their funding in cash terms in the next financial year, and have been awarded an additional £1m in recognition of the unique circumstances of the Island as my honourable friend points out, but I will ensure that he does get a meeting with the Minister for Local Government to carry on the good work that he and I started and make sure that his local constituents get the support that they need.”
£1m slammed as ‘highly unsatisfactory’ and ‘profoundly disappointing’
The £1m extra that the PM referred to was slammed by Isle of Wight council last year as ‘highly unsatisfactory’ and ‘profoundly disappointing’, adding that it did not go far enough in addressing the significant underfunding of services over many years.
Promise from Boris Johnson
In 2019 prior to the General Election, former PM, Boris Johnson, promised that the Island Deal would be going ahead, after it was pointed out that providing services on the Island cost the council more than £6.4m more than Mainland councils.
You can watch the clip on Parliament TV (12:22:28)
Thanks to News OnTheWight reader, Philip, for the heads up.
Image: © Parliament TV
