Isle of Wight council tax bills look set to rise by up to nearly 4% again next year – the eighth year in a row council tax will rise on the Island.
Launching its public budget consultation, the Isle of Wight Council says it is expecting to spend £340million on services including schools, regeneration and refuse collection.
In the introduction to the survey, it says to keep the services sustainable for the future it is proposing to repeat the 3.99% increase it imposed last year — 2%, creating around £1.7million, to help provide its services and possibly a further 2% to fund an ever-growing pressure on the council’s adult social care budget if the government allows it.
The survey asks questions such as what services should the council charge for, whether it should raise council tax by more than 2% — which would be decided by a referendum — and whether people would be willing to pay the adult social care precept if it increases.
Last year, the increase went up by 3.99% with 2% going to adult social care.
Isle of Wight Council leader, Councillor Dave Stewart, said the council had managed the budget very robustly over the past few years and were determined to do the same again next year. He said:
“Frontline services have been maintained and improved, with improved efficiencies in many areas.
“Obviously, this year, we have a different challenge with the coronavirus pandemic that remains ongoing, so we have to plan this into our budget analysis for next year too.”
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As part of its medium-term financial plan, £3.5million is needed to be saved in 2021/22 even with an increase of council tax.
Potential savings are being identified to balance the books while the budget is still in its outline stages as there are still question marks over how much funding from the government — an Island Deal, the fair funding review, any other COVID-19 related packages — will be given to the Isle of Wight Council.
It is thought the budget will be put forward at the full council meeting in February.
To take part in the consultation and have your say visit www.iow.gov.uk/Council/OtherServices/Financial-Management/Budget-Consultation. The survey will close on 25th January.
Yep, gotta pay for the floating farce and the unnecessary magic roundabout solution.
I know where you are coming from,but the magic roundabout was Government money supposedly not local tax money.
It’ll still cost us a fortune to maintain with all those expensive lights and management system. I bet its £10,000 just to phone a traffic light engineer. Then the electric bill, traffic islands, street furniture, lines tarmac maintenance including anti slip paint every 5 mins. Such a stupid idea and does not ease traffic flow in newport as it was supposed to. That was the whole purpose of the government money. Its an insult to islanders.
I’m not sure if I prefer Floating Farce, Floating bodge, or adding Non before either. Maybe we should have a vote,
Yep, gotta pay for that wage increase, those fat pensions, and last but not least, all that cocaine they love snorting.
Vote these greedy, useless, self serving cretins out.
They are allowing en masse building over the Island, gaining thousands extra each year for every home built in council tax, and YET still have to put up our c.tax.
Vote these parasitic beings out next time around, or always pay more for a worse standard of life here as roads, doctors, hospitals, schools, and crime becomes ever worse and joblessness will rise as more people crowd our Island.
From March untill July a high proportion of council workers were furloughed and the government was paying 80% of their wages, That means the council was saving 80% on their wages..So why the increase ,,sorry to say it’s just down to bad decisions and greed. Yet when there is a chance to vote them out, people will stay at home. You get what you didn’t vote for.
It would be good to know what the continual yearly increases actually are used for ! People’s wages don’t increase by 4% every year!
Don’t bother with the survey because whatever we say the council will make it ‘fit’ to what they want.
Year on year increases over 8 years. I wonder what the accumulative increase is for the eight years in total.
Its an assault on our wages in times when we are being squeezed from all directions. We shouldn’t take it laying down.
Unless your on the dole.
Then it makes no difference to you at all
Trouble is nobody will make a stand. We should all refuse to pay it or at least the increase. They can’t jail the whole island!!
Don’t mind betting that there are a lot of business owners, who after making a huge loss from mismanaging their business, could then charge extra for their products or services, to recoup the loss, knowing the customer was going to have to pay with no choice.
You mean like the big supermarkets who, as soon as lockdown commenced, got rid of all the buy-one-get-one-free and all other offers.
Some one has to pay I guess for there wage increase,floating bridge breakdowns, travel expenses,5 star hotels in london ,xmas parties ect
What are the odds we will all receive payrises to help soften this increase?? It’s all very well keep taking from residents but with increases far above payrises we are effectively having annual pay cuts. More will need to use foodbanks and other support if the imbalance isn’t addressed soon!
Council tax needs to be increased by 100% for all the richest people on the island.ps and everyone of the councillors….
What planet are the goons in power on?! People’s pockets are all but empty, I feel it’s time now to take a stand against these fat, out of touch, blinkered public servants who are basically clueless. I’ve lost total faith in our country, democracy & experts. We need to drain the swamp and start again. Root to branch. Out with the lot of you.
Legalized criminals the lot of them
They will be forcing people out of work as people will not be able to to pay the tax rise. Or should that be council staff pay rises.
Absolutely disgusting that the council tax is going up again after the council gave them self’s a pay rise
Groundhog day, from the council. Huge losses on the float, occasionally bridge. An alternative passenger ferry , that seems very expensive. Perhaps Mr Stewart could use some of his vaunted Robustness, to actually do something with the ferry. Rather than just increase tax. The huge annual increase in poll tax is becoming a burden , for those paying it and getting zero back. Some people, do need more help. But plenty are allowed to abuse the system , which is administered so poorly.
Phew, I thought it was going to be 4%, that would have been so different to 3.99%
No point in doing survey as whatever we say, council will make sure it gives them the right to increase tax and spend it on their own pay rises.
The public that have been paying ever increasing tax haven’t been getting any pay rises, or if they have, does not cover all the tax increases whether they be local council tax or taxes on goods.
There will be a time when those that used to get paid a decent wage will fall into the poorly paid category and end up applying for benefits.
Seems the rich are making sure they get richer and everyone else will become poor.
Very proud to say that I do NOT work for the council, nor ever will. I couldn’t lower myself that far.
Shhh!
Don’t let County Hall know…
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has actually said that rises of up to 5% will be permissible!!!
Council tax rates on the Island are shocking, it’s cheaper in many London Boroughs.
It should go by the actual wages being paid to persons.
Isle of Wight = Low Pay, therefore low Council Tax!
Not really, as on that basis a retired multi millionaire living in a mansion would pay zero.
Waxxnkers useless waxxnkers that fuxxcking turd floating turd money to pay for that and all the rest of the shxxit thats to come next year oh and the next year the same and the next and the next Waxxnkers..
Funny how a report 2 days ago said the council wanted to help families during this struggling time and now they want more money out of us.
Scrap council tax, bring back the poll tax/community charge, much fairer.