Gove to create Islands Forum to level up island communities

The government has announced it will establish a new Islands Forum with the aim of empowering island communities to communicate with government and inform future policy.

Representatives from Island communities from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be invited to join the forum.

Announced in the Levelling Up White Paper, the forum will allow participating islands to collaborate together to tackle common challenges and engage with the government.

The Secretary of State Michael Gove intends to chair the first forum later in the year.

Mr Gove said: ‘Talent is equally spread across the United Kingdom, but opportunity is not. Our island communities face shared challenges and I want us to work together to overcome them, as we work to unite and level up the whole UK.

‘A number of island communities have already benefited from the Levelling Up Fund and Community Renewal Funds. Creating a new Islands Forum takes our commitment one step further and provides a new opportunity for island communities to work together to help their communities prosper.’

Common challenges faced by the islands include connectivity, infrastructure and depopulation.

The government plans to work with island communities that already have existing multi-island council structures to find the best ways to engage with them.

Several projects in island communities have benefitted from funding through the levelling-up fund, including £173,400 committed to Argyll and Bute Council for investment into the West Coast UAV Innovation Logistics and training hub, which helps explore using drones to transport medical supplies to islands.

Anglesey has also seen a boost of £2.7m through the UK Community Renewal fund, provided to six schemes includes schemes to develop youth enterprise and provide health and social care education.

In related news, the Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has unveiled the government’s Levelling Up White Paper, setting out a decade-long project to regenerate Britain.

Photo by Neil Mark Thomas