By Mal Butler
An councillor has criticised the Isle of Wight Council for delays in replacing the troubled Floating Bridge 6 – accusing it of repeating past mistakes and wasting time and money.
Cllr Karl Love, who attended a council briefing last Thursday (June 13), said senior decision-makers were absent and that the authority’s current approach risked “eating up” funding without delivering a new vessel. He said: “We were shown a slide suggesting a £50–£100 million fixed bridge, when only £5 million is available. It’s nonsense. We’re not even discussing a new Medina strategy – we can’t afford one.”
He raised concerns over the appointment of transport consultancy Systra to develop the business case, saying they lacked marine engineering expertise and would subcontract, adding unnecessary cost and complexity.
“This is just like before – yet another study, more delays, and no clear plan to deliver what’s needed. The council agreed to replace the floating bridge 14 months ago. The new plan is to refresh the business case by October – that’s 19 months wasted,” he said.
Cllr Love added that the value of the crossing had been demonstrated during recent traffic disruption at Horsebridge Hill, but said doing nothing was not an option: “We cannot sustain the losses the bridge is making.”
Responding, the Isle of Wight Council said the Cabinet had formally agreed in March 2024 to replace the vessel and that it was following a structured approach.
A spokesman said: “We must first understand the technical and operational issues with the current bridge and clearly define the requirements for a replacement. That includes whether the problems are with the vessel itself or wider issues like legislation or environmental factors.”
They said consultants had been appointed through a formal procurement process to provide technical, legal and financial advice, and that work was under way to develop a full business case – required before any replacement could go ahead.
The council added that public engagement was a key part of the process and that any final decision would follow “a fully approved business case.”
Carole Dennett