Floating Bridge Fate Hangs In Balance As Councillors Prepare To Vote

A decisive vote on the future of the Isle of Wight’s Floating Bridge is expected at County Hall today (Thursday).

Members of the economy, regeneration, transport and infrastructure committee (ERTIC) will decide whether to go ahead with a recommendation to modify rather than replace the vessel.

County Hall’s proposal was previously condemned by councillors Lora Peacey-Wilcox and Cameron Palin as a “direct attempt” to “undermine democracy”.

They flagged a March 2024 Alliance group cabinet decision to replace the chain ferry and Cllr Peacey-Wilcox, herself part of the Alliance, said it is “running at a loss of over £1 million a year”.

“Floating Bridge Six is not fit for purpose. Keeping it is a calamitous waste of taxpayers’ money,” she told the press.

Independent East Cowes county councillor Karl Love said he was “stunned” by the recommendation, saying:

“We residents experience the failures of this vessel in real time.

"I will be asking some very testing questions at the meeting and made my feelings known in a councillor briefing.”

An ERTIC report due to be presented on Thursday said a modification of Floating Bridge Six would lead to a ‘higher value for money outcome’ and is the ‘preferred option from the perspective of maximising the economic and social benefits of the crossing’.

Its recommendation to the committee reads:

“Notes that Option one (new vessel) does not represent value for money relative to the other options, is not affordable and would not satisfy the legislative requirements to enable borrowing to be taken for the capital costs of purchase for a new vessel.

“Agrees to recommend to policy, finance and resources committee to allocate up to a maximum of £400,000 to undertake further limited modifications to the current Floating Bridge Six for additional chains and funded from the Floating Bridge Settlement Agreement.

“Subject to approval of funding by the policy, finance and resources committee, give approval to proceed to procurement for necessary works to undertake additional chain modifications only.

“Notes and acknowledges the views expressed from the public engagement alongside the best-case findings of the economic and financial assessment outputs.”

ERTIC will meet at County Hall at 5pm on Thursday.