1 year on, the leader of the Isle of Wight Council has looked back at the first 12 months of the Alliance administration’s rule to see what has been achieved.
Following the May elections last year — which left the Isle of Wight Council with no overall ruling party — Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox, the Cowes Medina representative, and her colleagues in the Alliance administration took control.
Since then, the minority administration has ruled over County Hall with 17 members, to the Conservatives 18, leaving the 4 remaining council seats filled by ungrouped members who have the power to sway full council matters.
In a report to full council, Cllr Peacey-Wilcox said the Alliance started its first year with the aim for the council to work together with the Island communities and to support and sustain the economy, environment and people.
Some of the last year’s work highlighted by Cllr Peacey-Wilcox includes:
- Successfully bid for £1million funding to build housing on 3 brownfield sites across the Island
- Secured £5.8million to ‘level up’ East Cowes
- The opening of homeless hub Howard’s House in Newport
- Approval of both the Isle of Wight Dementia Strategy and Climate and Environment Strategy
- Set up the Island’s first community pantries in East Cowes, Ryde and Ventnor – a foodbank alternative, where members pay £5 a week but get £15 worth of food in return
- A group to develop a clear strategy for dealing with fly-tipping
- Work started on the £10million Ryde Interchange
- Supported Southampton in its City of Culture Bid
- The children’s social work team were judged to be ‘good’ in all areas by Ofsted
- Started work with health partners to shape an Isle of Wight Carers’ Strategy
- Started work on the Innovation Wight Project — refurbishing a building in Northwood to provide a co-working space
Cllr Peacey-Wilcox acknowledged some achievements were started by the previous Conservative administration and offered her thanks to them for doing so while the alliance worked to ensure they were completed. She also thanked council staff, cabinet members and councillors for their dedication.
Going forward, Cllr Peacey-Wilcox said they knew the Island had many challenges but the Alliance remained determined to tackle them and make a real difference to Islanders’ lives.
12 months and can’t wait for them to go.
No clear strategy on employment, healthcare, or housing.
No doubt you can suggest a better group? I wonder where they are hiding?
There’s close to 150,000 on this Island. Local politics is in dire need of egoless fresh blood. Sadly the voting population seem to like chucking the same old faces back in.
Isn’t that the Governments responsibility?
Local government have power to influence and change local issues and factors. Can’t keep saying there’s nothing we can do, it’s down to central Government. For one, new housing for locals, key workers and those in need remains a lottery on this Island, disgrace there isn’t a proper priority strategy in place.
No mention of one of the stated priorities to resolve the Floating Bridge No 6 to make it fully operational – not requiring the auxiliary “pusher boat” at great expense. No resolution of the stated “legal action” over years – which turned out to be an attempt at mediation. It has continued to make losses in every year since it has been installed and cost the Council taxpayer many, many millions.
Just a council that applies for as many grants and status awards as possible, even if the chances are embarrassingly slim.
No policy substance beyond this.
And the premise of listening to the public is a clear ruse that has been exposed several times already.
Yep.they have been very successful..at wasting our moneyand bleeding us dry year on year.way too go corupt bunch
Waste of time and our money. Corruption in every part of the council. Waste money like its a dripping tap. No support for anyone apart from them selves never listen to us and do as they please. The kray twins were more honest than this bunch of take what ever spungers
they have achieved a lot of talk time, a lot of meeting time, a lot of creating work for others whilst they sit around drinking tea and they have managed to waste a lot of taxpayers money.
where is the evidence of actual savings, where is the evidence of reducing local government size, where is the evidence of efficiency savings, where is the evidence of cost cutting and why have they not provided explanations as to why they seem to ignore the common sense approach to local government and provide justifications for their haphazard, knee jerk desires to import more immigrants/asylum seekers as well as more spongers to the island.
What have they achieved? Nothing apart from filling their pockets by emptying ours.
Same sh!t – different people
Hampshire in charge of Children’s services,wasted money on consultants, floating bridge, Mary’s junction, smallbrook, increases in taxi fares, increases in Wightcare, increases in school transport,huge amounts in reception area County Hall, purchase of fleets of cars in County Hall car park,out sourcing services, planning appeals,Joing with Hampshire fire service, worst pay for bin men and still Council Tax increase ,Beryl scooters – how many unachievments ? The council needs to listen to the community majority.
And here’s a question for you Lora Peacey-Wilcox what happened to you saying you was going to keep us all informed and up to date?????
Or was that keep us informed on how much money you was going to squeeze out of us??? But you have definitely kept ua informed on that one every week with price hikes you keep allowing.
Just like the end of “Animal Farm”, there was no difference between the pigs and the humans.
Oh no come off it don’t be so harsh ,!!!!!!!!
They have achieved lightening our load ( from our bank accounts, )
They have achieved wasting our council tax in many ways ( ie the floating bridge fiasco)
They have achieved blaming previous Councillors ….
Not bad overall for 1 year ….
Round of applause for us mere cash cow’s for having to Tolerate them each and every one ….
Hip hip hooray !!!!!!!!!
My feeling is typical of post election blues. The local elected councillors were quick to respond to requests over the first couple of months. Once the honeymoon was over, you never hear or see them again. I have even forgotten their names they are so public shy now.
What about the dentist, doctor and pharmacist situation, you’ve done nothing about that. You can’t take the praise without taking the blame.
Building more homes here isn’t an achievement. They have failed in dealing with the floating bridge which has become a slow, inconsistent, and very nearly a pointless service.
Council tax rises, no interest in infrastructure (new hospital would be a good start) to cover the increase in more and more houses for the masses, massive pay increases for themselves, even bigger order for brown envelopes to cover 2022-2023, make a real difference to islanders lives, how does that work by squeezing them out of more cash, more clogged roads, more pollution, notice she doesn’t say “make a real POSITIVE difference to islanders lives.”