By Isle of Wight Observer
Almost 200 Islanders attended the first State of the Island Debate on the evening of Friday, June 13th, organised jointly by the IW Observer and Island Echo at the Riverside Centre in Newport. Many more watched online.
The event marked Indy News Week, a nationwide initiative led by the Public Interest News Foundation to celebrate the role of independent news outlets.
Chaired by former IW Council leader and current CEO of the IW Steam Railway, Marc Morgan-Huws, the panel featured East and West Wight MPs Joe Robertson and Richard Quigley; IW Council leader Cllr Phil Jordan; IW Chamber of Commerce CEO Steven Holbrook; Sir Paul Kenny, former GMB leader and chairman of the IW Ferry Board Sir Paul Kenny; Head of Marketing at Blackgang Chine Laura Baxter and IW NHS Trust chief officer Joe Smyth.
The debate covered a wide range of issues raised by the audience. On transport, Cllr Jordan spoke about the challenges of managing road closures, especially emergency works and those carried out by third parties, calling for better coordination.
Steven Holbrook praised the Island’s national leadership in regenerative farming practices, while Richard Quigley stressed the importance of supporting local farmers and food producers, as did Cllr Jordan.
Healthcare concerns focused on the pressures at St Mary’s Hospital, with Joe Smyth explaining how the hospital is tackling bed-blocking caused by a lack of care home beds and how it impacts on patient care. The panel also discussed the funding challenges faced by Mountbatten as the local Integrated Care Board has removed 40 per cent of its NHS funding. Joe Smyth pointed out that the age profile of Islanders is clearly an important factor that should be taken into account.
As expected, the ferry services sparked strong opinions. Sir Paul Kenny joked that “the best way to start a fight is to go into a pub and say our ferry services are brilliant.” He praised the way the two MPs worked together but raised another laugh when he told Mr Robertson “I still wouldn’t vote for you.”. However, all panellists agreed on the need for a new funding model, more affordable fares and more frequent, reliable services, with Steven Holbrook pointing out that government intervention would be needed. Both MPs outlined their work in Westminster to push for change.
Laura Baxter highlighted a 26 per cent drop in visitor numbers over the last five years and called for a more joined-up approach to promoting tourism to the Island and economic development. All panellists agreed that this was desperately needed.
The final issue raised was the Island’s coroner service, which has the longest wait times for inquests in the country. Joe Robertson spoke about a recent clash with the coroner, Caroline Sumeray, after she objected when he published a photo of an empty courtroom. He said: “She should know better. I would suggest her priorities are wrong—she needs to focus on the backlog, not a photograph.” The panelists all agreed that the current service was not fit for purpose.
Closing the evening, IW Observer Editor Carole Dennett said:”It was heartening to see so many Islanders engaged with the issues that shape our future. We’re extremely grateful to the panel for their time and insight, and to the audience for their thoughtful and challenging questions. What was striking was the lack of political point-scoring and the willingness of all parties to work together for the good of the Island and its residents. Independent local media matters – the IW Observer and Island Echo are very different organisations, but we share a belief in holding power to account and giving Islanders a voice.”
There was strong support on the night for a follow-up debate—and both media outlets have confirmed plans to hold another event. You can watch the full debate at iw.observer/fblive.
