Deep concerns have been shared about the Isle of Wight Council’s finances after the authority revealed it would be getting less money from the Government than first thought for the year ahead. Despite the Isle of Wight Council supplying evidence to show it costs at least £6million more to provide services to the Island — a process which it said took months of work – the Island will only get £1million to go towards those costs. Overall, the council will be £400,000 worse off than it had estimated. There is also no sign of the major ‘Island Deal’ cash windfall that had been hoped for in the local government finance settlement, as previously reported by Island Echo. The Isle of Wight Council, along with the bankrupt Thurrock Council — which will raise its council tax by 8% — received the lowest funding percentage increase of all unitary authorities. It is something the council’s chief finance officer, Chris Ward, has called ‘very concerning’ and has expressed his disappointment. He said it was also deeply concerning the increased cash for social care will fall short of the cost pressures the council will face. Mr Ward said it is therefore ‘inevitable’ the council will need to make at least £3million of savings in the next financial year. In light of that, Council Leader Phil Jordan has warned difficult decisions will need to be made so the council can set its balanced budget in February. In a statement, he said the settlement is simply not sufficient to meet the financial pressures the authority is facing and the Government is again expecting residents to pay more, by assuming council tax is raised to its fullest extent. Opposition councillors at County Hall are trying to bring forward their own alternative budget to that which the ruling Alliance Administration will propose. However, Conservative councillors and the Empowering Islanders group have said they have been having a hard time accessing the necessary information to create their own budget. Speaking earlier this week, Councillor Clare Mosdell, leader of the Conservative group, said they didn’t want to bring forward an amendment, but a full budget which can give the Alliance more ideas and allow more debate and discussions but needed access to the right information to do so. Council officers have said they will look into the issue and see what can be done. Islanders can still have a say on how they think the authority should spend its money, with a public consultation running until 26th January – https://www.iow.gov.uk/council-and-councillors/transparency-our-data/our-finances/2024-2025-budget-consultation/.
£3MILLION OF CUTS ‘INEVITABLE’ SAYS COUNCIL’S CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER
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More cash in there pockets scum
How could Labour do this to us!
Mr Ward said it is therefore ‘inevitable’ the council will need to make at least £3million of savings in the next financial year.
Cancel the free taxi’s for SEND kids – that is one million saved in an instant.
cancel the 1 million spent on three kids care – they don’t need that much – that is the 2nd million saved in an instant.
do not let ryde town council spend £426,000 buying the old nat west building – that gets us to nearly £2.5 million savings immediately.
it isn’t difficult to find savings in council budgeting – as they are woefully inadequate at it and waste vast sums of money on pointless, vote grabbing, woke, pandering nonsense.
Totally agree with you Islander. £426,000 on a Hub. Definition of “HuB” – Hugely Unneeded Building!!!!!!!
* but must protect executive jobs at all costs.
We obviously have a council and CEO etc that don’t know what they should be doing,how is it that some other authorities have had increase in government funding, but have been doing well and lower council tax? . Our council are the problem, end partnerships with Hampshire, reduce amount of councilors that spend more time bickering and failing to make decisions,use mini busses for SEND children, not individual taxis. Support and run care homes ( so many forced to close by Council and resident’s then moved away more expensive) grants to the home to make needed upgrades – this council saves £100 but then cost a £1000. Close a home means higher cost to re-home, Social Worker time,loss of care home jobs,loss of business rates and Council Tax etc.
Fully agree Islander, pointless wasting ever more money on ‘dead wood’, and as the parents are very well paid for burdening society with costly mill stones, they should fund any transport costs, or better still have home learning, as in most cases, only the basics will ever be needed, how to sign to claim yet another benefit etc.
yep – they get cradle to grave support and it should not be at our expense.
Would be bad enough if it were just the parents ‘choice’ of the unfortunate innocent child which cost normal society a fortune to feed, treat, attempt to educate and, as you say fund it for a lifetime.
But the parents gain massively by burdening society, whereas they imo ought to be working every hour they can IF they want their ‘special’ child to be in normal schools, to be taken out on trips which other parents have to fund themselves, as the parents of these special children get massive amounts of money to fund them, but then get free taxis, free home alterations, free care workers to take their specials out on trips etc etc.
They have their cake and eat it too, and all for providing a costly being to be funded for life.
Perhaps we should start with £50000 report on floating bridge then look at approx 15% of council tax going on council pensions
average team leader earns over £43000 a third above national average, council leader earning over £140000 plus benefits.
I think we can see where we should start the cuts. What actual difference would it make if we had no Council leader?
Not much I expect
We all have our own ideas on how the council can save money and still provide the same service,a considerable amount of councils now use one mini bus for school entitled children as opposed to eight taxis this saving a comsierable amount of money, indeed with good business practices they could save enough money not to put the council tax up, but that would send completely the wrong message to cental government that the IOW canactually run itself effiecntly.. For many years all councils has had unfettered access to this fund or that funding so they can continue with their spending follies.Shock horror like most households financial reality is now hitting them and they are incapable of dealing with the issue
Whilst bashing the council for their incompetence is very popular, with good reason, let’s not forget that the government chose to give the island the lowest funding in the country, despite all evidence regarding the extra costs of being an island.
Seely’s ‘Island Deal’ was totally ignored, showing him to be an utterly useless representative for us.
With an election this year, it’s something to consider before all of you mindlessly put a cross next to the Tory purely out of habit.
most councils don’t need the money – they just waste every penny they get, so cuts are well deserved.
they have a mentality of “make sure you spend it, or it will be cut next year”
Surely with the constant cuts in funding and services we will get to a stage where we no longer have to pay tax’s or employ so many people @ the council..
£2.2 million is spent on taxis per year for getting these “so called” special kids to school, so that is a big saving, just do that and the rest can be trimmed off the top earners not having a pay rise or giving themselves a fat bonus.
Everything is a mess at County hall. Everything is a mess at parliament. Our MP only cares about his own political advancement and his own income so don’t count on him for anything that will benefit us. The only way out of this mess is to vote Labour. Any other option is a wasted vote for more of the same. I also think that County Hall does not actually need an overpaid ineffective leader, and because of the sly sneaky way certain council finances are kept ‘Secret’ we’ve no way of knowing exactly how much of our money is being mismanaged. I expect the people representing our interests to be completely transparent and to communicate honestly. We’re screwed if this situation continues.
Parking will go up again
And toilet charges, already 50p to have a p*ss in Sandown
I have an idea.
Best way to save £3,000,000.00 all IW Council shirkers should take a pay cut
Easy peasy lemon squeezey.
Job done.
The cost of councillors allowances is approx. £500.000 pounds per year ot is a disgrace and should be cut by at least half that would help quite a bit. This is the same people that refused to set a budget a few years ago they are incompetent and now we have Mr (floating bridge ) Jordan at the helm we have no chance. Some years ago in a similar situation I asked my local councillor Mr Bacon to propose a cut in councillors allowances and he refused but then he would because he is one.of the highest earners him and the aforementioned Mr Jordan they are both hopeless but keep moving around from job to job in order that nothing sticks.
Ian, politicians are the same, they are useless in one department
then they move them to another department
Cleverly and Shapps are examples of such.
All councils are struggling with having to provide more services, at greater cost, with less resources. Lots of other councils have been proactive. IoW council has lots of assets but routinely fails to utilise them. It set up a housing company so it could develop its own land to avoid being seen to have been fleeced by developers but couldn’t staff it so has reverted back to selling land but as far as I can tell – Yarmouth School etc – it can’t even manage that. Sell the surplus assets, consolidate council services & offices. Don’t cut back basic services that residents rely on. That just compounds the problem and means that our brightest & most talented leave so less tax revenue goes into the coffers and so on..
No party is honest !!!!
Not all parents are fortunate to conseive healthy children.
They are very lucky not to have to weigh down your taxes.
One more thing I abhor not being able to get a friggin taxi booked at 9am,or 3pm .
Life’s shit sometimes
Get ready for a huge council tax increase
at this rate it won’t be too long before Council Tax will be
£100.00 a week.
At least families on benefits don’t have to pay council tax,
alright for some, don’t worry we will keep paying theirs!
I don’t agree on your bit about at family on benefits don’t have to council tax, cos do but at a reduced rate and yes I pay full council tax as I am a full time worker
I don’t agree on this least families on benefits don’t have to pay council tax, cos they do but at a reduced rate. and yes I pay full council tax as I’m a full time worker
I don’t agree on this least families on benefits don’t have to pay council tax, cos they do but at a reduced rate. and yes I pay full council tax as I’m a full time worker
So our MP was mistaken when he claimed to made the government aware of our situation and won additional funding for us.
I’m not sure exactly how you could describe getting us the least increase in the whole country as winning. If anything he seems to have made the situation worse.
I would say roll on the election, except I’m sure the next lot will treat us with the same level of utter contempt.
More Tory lies was the answer.
Put all council contracts under review and up for tender. Starting with Island roads.
You earn more than £3m a year on Parking Costs FFS!!
Overpaid Bigots!!
IWC., borrow it off RTC.
In December, every council employee received a pay rise, backdated to last April. Everyone from the bottom of the pile to the very top got a nice little golden handshake. Now they are saying Cuts are inevitable!!
Isn’t it a shame the doughnuts making the decision to hike the pay of every Council employee, couldn’t see the Wood for the Trees!!
Never mind, give more planning consent for hundreds more houses & claim the Council tax. Then fill them with mainland benefit scrounges who don’t have to pay the full amount!!