Ferry overview and solution

We need the ferries to provide a cheap, regular seamless journey to the mainland to ensure our place in the healthcare, commercial, and social communities on the mainland. 

 The isle of Wight is surprisingly an island. Which means that to link people, families, industry and healthcare we need a regular cheap link to the mainland. And before rail privatisation the ferries as part of British Rail provided a flawed but cheap route that did just that. Unfortunately the privatisation of British Rail was done in a hurry by a Conservative Government focused on selling it off quickly. No restrictions no new regulation, leading directly to the finance dream of increasing debt used to siphon off profits to the benefit of owners while avoiding tax. 

With no limits on fares, no real competition and no cost regulation the ferries have been repeatedly sold on; with increasing fares supporting increased valuations and reduced tax take. I’ve been talking privately about this for some 15 years and its become worse. We see a Ryanair type approach of gouging every increasing amounts from the travelling public for supposed extras of speedy boarding, flexible booking  or shiny extras. The ferry staff are invariably helpful considerate and nice but working with rapacious business practices they must struggle. 

The expense to business makes the island a high cost centre. Affecting everything from basic supplies, to roads; from individual families to long term health care. Can you tell me any major area that is not affected by substantial ferry fares? We lose businesses like the Bestival and see families divided by the cost of visiting. While patients struggle with the cost and time as the NHS moves care off island. We see higher costs for retailers and consumer facing businesses and people dissuaded from settling here making worse workforce issues in healthcare and education. So is it any surprise that companies looking to cut costs see the island as first in line to be closed?

Ferry costs limit our links to the major centres of Southampton and Portsmouth. And we have no recourse. The MP, god bless him, has muttered about high fares, about reliability and finally about tax structures to no effect but should look at the ferry issue as a complete picture. The Labour party take about nationalisation as part of their national dogma, as if that will solve everything! But in reality we need an island approach with an independence that says to central government; We are here; We need fairness, we deserve a seamless link to the mainland. Isn’t it obvious the island with all its unique capabilities knowledge and culture could enhance the solent region rather than becoming the backwater of a rural, seaside, isolated place?

Regulation is needed urgently, while central government support is sensible, as per the Scottish islands. However recognition of our unique transport issues with a small amount of central government top up will not help the whole community, so let us attack this issue at its root.

The ferries have their feet on the throat of the island communities throttling the life from from businesses and individuals, and we all suffer.

Finally I’m hearing from many people that perhaps it is time for a fixed link. I”m not convinced but it’s no surprise when the current situation is unfair, unreasonable and proof that an unregulated market does not care about the community.