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Scrap The Floating Bridge? 'We Might Have To Refund Money' Says Council

If the Isle of Wight Council were to scrap the troubled Floating Bridge 6 (FB6), it could have to pay back the £3.8 million used to buy it.

The funding for FB6 was given to the council through the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) as part of the Solent Gateway project, to open up the area.

However, a number of commitments and obligations put in place when the council got the funding, including: performance, improvement of the local economy and numbers carried.

At last night’s (Tuesday) corporate scrutiny committee, councillors asked why the vessel could not just be scrapped and the council get more money for a new floating bridge?

Cllr Dave Stewart, council leader, said if the council was to not complete the contract with the LEP by not meeting the targets and not being able to maintain the service, the body would be able to ask for its money back.

Cllr Stewart said the LEP was closely monitoring the situation and had asked the council what it intends to do to meet that commitment and will independently review what is happening.

He said, however, the SLEP was keen to work with the council because the reason the Floating Bridge was there was ‘not about money’ but about a service to the community.

Cllr Stewart said the people who suggested getting another vessel did not explain how they would do it, how it would be paid for or how the LEP would be given its money.

Cllr Stewart also ruled out the option of bringing Floating Bridge 5 back, saying he and other councillors visited it last year and found it was home to ‘rust and seagulls’.

The current vessel was not and still is not fit for purpose, according to Cllr Stewart, and the legal action the council is taking is based on the premise FB6 can be fixed to a standard that ensures a good and reliable service.

It is hoped through mediation the council will be able to recover some of its losses as a ‘substantial claim’ has been put forward.

By Louise Hill, Local Democracy Reporter

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