Bob Seely MP said: "It’s good news that ministers have agreed to look afresh at the Island’s funding settlement. I’ll be working with them, as well as experts on the Island, to ensure that our Island's case is as strong as possible.
"The background is this:
"In the past few months, I have written to, and held meetings with, ministers about the Council’s funding. I want more support for the Island. I’ve made it very clear that it costs more to provide Council services for Islanders, compared to the mainland.
"We need a long-term uplift.
"I should clarify that getting more money for the Council is not the 'Island Deal’ alone and never has been. Getting an 'Island Deal' means getting a better deal for the Island all the time. An Island deal is not a one-off bag of money.
"I’ve made sure we have been getting a better deal for the Island for the past five years.
"Getting a better deal for the Island is the £120 million of additional support we’ve received since Islanders elected me to represent them in Parliament. I’ve worked with others, on the Council, the NHS and elsewhere, to make sure we are delivering a better deal for the Island.
"Getting a better deal is the additional tens of millions for the NHS; it’s the £50 million for the Island Line and the Ryde Railway Pier; it’s the new money for the heavy lift crane in East Cowes shipyard to create dozens of new jobs; it’s millions for IW College to improve opportunities and life chances for younger Islanders; it’s getting priority funding from the Arts Council to create skilled jobs and cultural events; and getting a Road Policing Unit back on the Island to make our roads safer.
"We are getting a better deal, so I also now want, working with the Council, to make sure we get a better deal for Council funding too."
