Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has written to the Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Jacob Young, asking to meet to discuss securing further regeneration support for the Island. This would utilise the Towns Fund or other government investment.
Mr Seely wrote: "As you know, I have been doing my utmost to champion the needs of the Island and I am delighted that we have secured not only Towns Fund investment, but other Levelling Up investment as well."
"I would urge you to look at any funding available from the Towns Fund which could support these towns."
He said there was a ‘strong case’ for wider Towns Fund support for Newport and the Bay Area, or potentially a whole Island fund to drive investment, thereby increasing job and wealth creation opportunities for Islanders.
Mr Seely also included detailed statistics in his letter outlining the case for increased funding for the Bay Area and Newport.
Speaking about the need for additional funding, Mr Seely said: “We’ve seen a great deal of investment – around £60 million - going into Ryde to improve how the town looks and functions, which is great. The £20 million from the Towns Fund for further regeneration projects is on top of that which means there’s more improvements to come.
"Now, and not forgetting Ryde, we need to turn our focus to other towns that need further investment. That includes Newport and the Bay Area.
"We need to attract additional investment in these towns that can help us to create jobs and opportunities for Islanders.
"I will be talking to ministers to see where there may be opportunities to bid for money and then I’ll be encouraging the council and others to submit their bids.
"I’ll always be working to secure a better deal for the Island."
