Joe Robertson MP Slams Hampshire Mayor Deal In Commons

Joe Robertson, MP for Isle of Wight East, has criticised the Government’s plans to fuse Hampshire and the Isle of Wight under a new Combined Mayoral Authority.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill will establish Combined Mayoral Authorities across most of England next May, with powers to raise local council tax.

The Isle of Wight will come under a single Mayoral Authority with Hampshire, where the Mayor will be based.

The East Wight MP said the deal was “offensive” to Islanders, who will not get to decide whether they agree.

He also criticised the decision to replace the name “Isle of Wight” with “Solent” and to include powers over key transport except ferries.

In his Commons speech, he said:

“For the Isle of Wight, it is about fusing our Island with Hampshire, where 93% of the population will live on the mainland and just 7% on the Island - under a combined mayoral authority.

"The Isle of Wight Council will lose powers over strategic planning so that a Mayor who represents largely Hampshire voters will be able to allocate more housing on the Island.”

Mr Robertson warned that choosing the name “Solent” rather than “Isle of Wight” could mean the name disappears from local policing, fire and rescue, health, and other authorities that the Mayor will oversee.

The Government previously wrote to the MP saying “Solent” was the preferred name of the council leaders involved, including Isle of Wight Council Leader Phil Jordan.

Joe Robertson added that the Mayor for the “Solent” would have powers over road, rail, and buses, but not ferries:

“The Mayor will get no powers over the biggest transport issue facing my constituents. So, Solent is in the name of the Combined Authority, but the Mayor will get no powers over ferries.

"And our ferries are the only unregulated, entirely privatised, foreign-owned, debt-laden key transport providers in the UK.”

He acknowledged that the Maritime Minister had visited the Island and used “warm words” about dealing with ferries, but said:

“This is the opportunity to deliver on those words and put powers in the hands of the Mayor to regulate cross-Solent transport.”

Mr Robertson closed by warning there were no safeguards against the Mayor defunding the Island in favour of Hampshire, likening it to the Integrated Care Board’s attempts to reallocate funding from Mountbatten Hospice.

He concluded:

“The local ICB is already raiding money from our hospice to spend it on Hampshire hospices. And in the mayor deal, we need powers to stop this happening.”