Richard Quigley MP meets with Maritime Minister Keir Mather MP to discuss cross-Solent travel and pushes for change.
On Thursday 16 October Richard Quigley and the new maritime Minister Keir Mather MP sat down to discuss cross-Solent travel.
Richard emphasised that while there may be a new Minister in place, the need for better ferry services and fairer pricing remains paramount. Richard felt encouraged by Keir’s determination to fix this issue for all islanders and felt particularly encouraged by the new Minister’s awareness of the issues. Richard was also reassured by concrete promises made during the meeting:
• Accelerating the appointment of an Independent Chair to the Cross-Solent Transport Group, to ensure stronger leadership and accountability.
• Instructing officials to compile a factual account of services and prices
• Exploring a public consultation with islanders to better understand the real-world impact of the current ferry service.
• Establishing regular meetings between the Minister and Richard, so he can stay updated on the Department’s progress and continue to push for action.
In response to the meeting Richard acknowledged that it was still early days but that the Minister had demonstrated the clear intent to get this issue right:
‘There’s still so much to do, and no time to waste, but I was genuinely encouraged by the commitment Keir showed to improving our ferry services. I’ll keep fighting for the changes our community needs.’
