Isle of Wight Transport Scored £10.5 Million Bailout to Keep Lifeline Links Alive
The government has slammed a massive £10.5 million lifeline into vital transport links for the Isle of Wight and Isles of Scilly amid the COVID-19 crisis. This emergency cash ensures ferries and air routes keep running, stopping these island communities from being cut off during lockdown.
Crucial Transport Funds Secured
Thanks to a joint deal between the Department for Transport and HM Treasury, key passenger ferries to the Isle of Wight, plus sea and air links to the Isles of Scilly, will stay operational for the next three months.
Over 140,000 residents on the Isle of Wight and 2,200 on the Isles of Scilly rely on these routes to access mainland medical care and vital supplies. This funding guarantees that lifeline services continue despite plunging passenger numbers amid the pandemic.
Temporary Rules Allow Ferry Operators to Team Up
To keep services running despite reduced demand, competition laws have been temporarily lifted. Ferry companies can now collaborate without penalties, working together to maintain essential transport for workers and medical patients who can’t stay home.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:“Lifeline transport services remain fundamental to everyday lives, and by taking action today, we are helping ensure communities can access healthcare and essential goods and services. We should all be inherently grateful to transport operators who are providing vital services across the country at this difficult time and we will continue to back them and the critical work they carry out.”
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay MP added:“Services like these play a vital role in providing communities in these more remote areas with the essential supplies they need – which is particularly important as we face the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why I’m delighted to award this much-needed funding today to these services operating in the Isles of Scilly and Isle of Wight and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank their employees for their continuing efforts in challenging circumstances.”
More Support for Freight and Medicines
Alongside ferry funding, Matt Hancock’s Transport Secretary announced tens of millions more to protect vital freight routes during the pandemic. Up to 31 routes across the UK will get backing to guarantee the flow of essential goods — including life-saving medicines — keeps flowing without disruption.
The government remains hands-on, working closely with transport operators and industry leaders to roll out further support where needed, tackling COVID-19’s hit on public services head-on.
