We have received confirmation that government has approved our request for emergency funding to support the continuation of inter-island boat services over the winter. This funding will be used to support services which the Council was informed would otherwise have lapsed between St Agnes and St Mary’s, and between St Martin’s and St Mary’s.
Cllr Joel Williams, Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly, said: “I would like to thank the ministers and officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), for approving with the emergency funding we requested. Inter-island boating services play an essential role in keeping the islands connected. In recent years, operators have come under increasing financial pressure to maintain services over the winter. This support from government will allow the Council to work with the communities on St Agnes and St Martin’s, and boat operators, to put in place services for this winter. In parallel, the Council will continue to work with government on a longer term solution to ensuring the communities on all the islands have reliable and affordable inter-island services which meet their needs year-round.”
The news was also welcomed by the Councillors elected to represent their communities on St Agnes and St Martin’s.
Cllr Harry Legg, Local Member for St Agnes, said: “I would like to thank John Peacock and his family for having provided a great service to the people of St Agnes for many years. Their knowledge and skills, and those of their crews, in handling the boats that we have relied on as a community on such a tempestuous route have been invaluable. Due to the nature of the decision, it was important to keep the news confidential until John was able to consult his staff, but I am delighted to be able to share this news with the community now. I am grateful to all of the Council officers and civil servants involved for finding a solution to this crisis so rapidly.”
Councillor Geoff White, Local Member for St Martin’s, said: “This is a real win for the Council and our community. I would like to thank our Council officers and Members for the hard work they have put into achieving this result, and to the civil servants and ministers at the DfT and MHCLG for listening, understanding, and moving swiftly to support us in this issue.
I would also like to thank the community on St Martin’s for their patience at this anxious time. Having not had our own boating service for a few years now, we rely on a patchwork of local operators to provide our boating, and we are grateful to all of them for the services that keep our community running.
This support from government ensures our essential boating during the winter months will continue. I look forward to working with residents, the Council, and operators to make sure that winter services meet community needs."
Councillor Robert Francis, Lead Member for Economy, Tourism and Transport, said: “Following this good news from government, it is now important that we work quickly with the communities on St Agnes and St Martin’s to ensure the boating services provided over the winter meet their needs. The Council has long sought support from government for improvements and all year-round resilience to inter-island boat services between all of the islands. This marks the first step in achieving that, and I’m delighted that we now have something to build on.”
Next steps
The communities on St Agnes and St Martin’s will be invited to give their views on inter-island services in the winter at meetings currently being arranged on each of the islands. The Council will provide further details of these meetings once the arrangements have been finalised.
Following these meetings, and a review of the feedback received, the Council will issue tenders for operators to submit bids for operating the inter-island boating services. This process is expected to take up to 4 weeks to complete, after which the successful operator/s will be announced.