Councillor Phil Jordan has hit back at the ‘misleading’ manifesto sent to Ryde North West ward members by new candidate Tommy Booth, just over a week before locals head to the polls to decide their new representative on the town council.
The current election process taking place in Ryde North West for a Councillor to sit on Ryde Town Council (RTC) is due to be decided by a poll on Thursday 23rd February.
During this election process a leaflet from both candidates, Diane Conyers and Tom Booth has circulated to homes in the Ward.
Prospective candidate Tommy Booth – who wishes to run as a Conservative Party candidate – focused mainly on the spending of the council in his manifesto highlighting the recent authority expenditures on places like Vectis Hall and the ongoing Ryde Marina debacle.
Booth – who owns and manages The Codfather on George Street – goes on to highlight the questionable decision to spend thousands on deck-chairs, an enterprise that lost the council around £24k in 2022.
Whilst his views on the local expenditure will win some voters, fellow councillor Phil Jordan has released a rather damming statement following the publication of Booth’s pledge to locals.
Councillor Phil Jordan said:
“I have been provided with both leaflets from a resident and on reading both, simply cannot remain silent any longer”
Article continues below this advertisement “I have no issues with the leaflet distributed by Diana Conyers but I am furious with the contents of the leaflet circulated to Ward residents by the conservative candidate, Mr Booth, which is completely misleading and in certain aspects, a downright lie”
“Quite apart from the fact that the candidate does not want to inform residents he is promoting the conservative party by saying so on the ballot paper, preferring to refer to the isle of wight conservative association as the IWCA and his leaflet is very similar in content to the leaflet circulated in a recent election process in the Ryde East ward, the claims on the leaflet are simply misleading and in at least one case, a lie
“Mr Booth seems to think that Ryde Town Council is a business which must only undertake schemes and projects that produce revenue. His inexperience demonstrates his total lack of understanding of what Councils do and what their purpose is in providing services to the local community.
“He claims the purchase of St Thomas’s Church entailed borrowing £285,000 with £25,000 of annual costs to repay loan. He claims no revenue income. What he misleading fails to tell resident is that the award winning youth service are due to re-house within the church and that the current costs of rented property for the youth service on the High Street, saved by the move to the church, completely negates the costs involved. He also fails to tell residents that the building has already received over £70,000 of grant funding income with a further already awarded £600,000 grant funding due in 2023. Hardly ‘no revenue.’
“He claims RTC have borrowed £500,000 the Marina. They have not. There is a five year business plan which includes investment to improve marina facilities with an income forecast to generate around £25,000 profit each year during the same period. The overall project is a 25 year long term scheme.
“He claims that RTC have spent £40,000 on St Johns Wood. That is a downright lie. The Council have not spent any such figure on this whatsoever. Indeed, they do not even own the wood.
“He claims that £40,000 is to be spent this year on the iconic Appley Tower. He fails to tell residents that this money is match funding that has attracted a successful grant funding application of £250,000 to renovate the tower.
“I cannot allow the residents of Ryde North West to be completely misled by lies and mistruths that Mr Booth is peddling which affect the reputation of the Town Council in a very negative way and seeks to undermine the good work and improvements they have made to the community of Ryde over the past few years.
“Mistruths are bad enough at election times but lies are simply unacceptable.”
UPDATE WEDNESDAY – In response to Councillor Jordan’s critical words, Steven Sheridan, agent for Tommy Booth, has said in a statement:
“Mr Booth is not promoting the Conservative Party, the Conservative Party is promoting Mr Booth as we share his values.
“Cllr Jordan says that Mr Booth shows a lack of understanding of what Councils do but Ryde’s Corporate Plan states that the “Council will undertake some commercial activities to create revenue going forward”.
“Mr Booth is delighted to have brought these figures to the public’s attention, most of which are from Ryde Town Council’s budget report.
“Mr Booth is aware that RTC’s intention is to relocate Network Ryde to St. Thomas’ church at some point in the future (2024?). A large building which is likely to prove unsuitable for such a use and which will cost a considerable amount to heat and maintain.
“Re the Marina: The source is page 8 of Ryde Town Council’s budget report 2023/2024. From the same report, page 14 shows an Annual Grant of £40,000 paid to St. Johns Wood in 2022/2023.
“Appley Tower: see page 5 – under earmarked reserves.
“Mr Booth is happy for voters to make up their own minds as to whom is speaking the truth on these matters and will be delighted to answer any further questions”.
There is one golden rule in life. Never believe anything a politician says he will do. Only believe it when the past tense. Any that applies to all of you.
Running a council as a successful business, that’ll be a first. What about Vectis Hall, or the floating bridge, hardly shrewd decisions.
What taxpayers want are lower bills, that don’t go up to cover bad investments.
Marina, projected to make £25000 per annum.
Is that after dredging costs?
The Floating Bridge is nothing to do with RTC. The business case for the Marina is just that, a business case which takes into account all costs before projecting an income. Therefore, yes, after the investments and the dredging, it produces an income from berthing fee income. Vectis Hall is a long term renovatioon project, dealing with a blight on the town for the past 27 years, which will see the Council eventually housed there. Again, the £28,000 that RTC spend each year on office accommodation for the Council will offset the long term renovation costs. Public consultations held by the Council in the Ryde community indicate that people actually do want us to take care of buildings, invest in the community and the youth service.
Public consultations are just that, you keep the view’s that support your perspective and projects and bin the ones that oppose,the only accurate way of substantiating anything you have said is by a referendum, you speak of anticipated revenue, that is just a projection, values and rentals change, the likely hood of sandown, ryde and the other town councils existing on the island in the years to come is debateable in the extreme, one council could save the taxpayers hundreds of pounds a year.
Why was Ryde Town Hall built ?? Thought that was for the Ryde Council ? Now it seems to be another empty wasted space..
Hang on phil, you condemn him for lying but you and your mates do the same thing every single day and somehow that is ok, double standards or what.
Which lies are those ‘Reg’
Phil , I know you and you are a decent guy, great values and very knowledgeable, don’t rise to the trolls, you are a councillor who is clearly dedicated , let booth do what he does best serve gutter level food from his gutter chip shop
Dan- I assume you are related to Mr Jordan?
Mistruths from a politician, who would ever believe it.
phil jordan is only trying to protect his own job and place at the money trough to wedge his snout. Discrediting someone else who is trying to usurp him and get their snout in, is nothing new.
it is not what councillors say, it is what they actuallly do, is what they need to be judged on.
Truth You spotted what I did, the old distraction game, put down others while you try save your own job/nest egg/ golden lifeboat seat
Dear Mr Booth pls put Jordan right and in his place maybe share some of his mistruths with the islanders .. fire with fire
Absolutely, actions speak louder than words. This Tory is too scared to call himself a Conservative, so he’ll call himself IWCA. They Tory brand is dead.
A Tory who manipulates the facts? Like the ones in Westminster who say they can be trusted with the economy? The ones who lied about Brexit? Surely not.
Let’s hope that Phil Jordans inability to ‘remain silent any longer’ will also extend to the secret floating bridge deal he was involved with
It wasn’t ‘secret’. If you do your homework, you’ll appreciate the concept of ‘non-disclosure agreements’ which, legally, are invoked by insurance companies to make private their settlements. It’s a grown up thing. Do some homework…..
A non disclosure agreement specifically to hide the details of a compensation agreement for an inappropriate and badly designed river vessel paid for with public money, sounds petty much like a secret.
Firstly, that was the IWC, not RTC. Nothing unusual in commercial confidentiality agreements and in this case, no agreement, no settlement. It’s that simple. (and you would have to know in detail the strength of the case and myriad of legal details that informed why it was better to agree a settlement than go to the High Court.) The conservatives have quietly dropped their accusations about this matter, Why you might ask? That’s because the conservative administration of the IWC between 2017 and 2021 didn’t (doesn’t) want you to know they signed exactly the same type of agreement in 2020 regarding the PFI contract. Seems it’s ok to sign these agreements when you run the council but it’s not when you don’t run the council.
But that is only what you say, safely hidden behind the NDA you agreed, free from public scrutiny, part of the council that commissioned FB6 in the first place and, doubtless, hoping that it will just quietly go away.
Doesn’t not disclosing things make them secret then?
Mariner58 wouldn’t it be nice for their dodgy deal ? to be exposed ….as their silence speaks volumes …,,,, I believe one day it will be .
I’m voting for TING TONG FROM TOOTING.
WIGHT LIVES MATTER PARTY.
My advice for any north west Ryde resident is take the time to vote,
and SPOIL your ballot paper on mass.
Jordan should shut his cake hole. He’s just playing into the bloke’s hands. Politicians making stuff up is part of the course, it no longer has any shock value. Just like town councils making poor investment decisions, wasting taxpayers money, and needlessly embarking on vanity projects.
Which ones are those ‘ryde monkey’?
I believe some old dilapidated buildings are money pits and marinas with significant ongoing sand problems are a risky investment. But I’m not responsible for spending taxpayers’ money so it doesn’t really matter what I think does it.
Ha ha ha. Why would Mr Jordan ever think that a politician would be telling us the truth? Even we know they all lie.
If you consider that all politicians lie, then I presume that you’ll not be voting out of protest, and if you don’t vote, a privilege that so many died for to achieve, then you don’t have a voice. Hopefully. Am always amazed by the people who moan and snipe the most, don’t have the balls to use their own names in social media, QWERTY. King? Don’t think so.
not about “balls” caroline – it is about ensuring that your right to anonymity is preserved, whilst allowing you a voice.
Exactly. It’s my right to non-disclosure.
Never known a Councillor to tell the truth !!!!!
Whatever happened 2 one for all and all for one ??????
The only thing all of you are interested in is blaming someone else!
Alliance you wouldn’t know the meaning of the word …
Blah blah blah …..
You are all tarred and feathered with the same brush…
Next election I am staying in bed ! Not worth the effort ..
And let’s be honest most of you we’re in last time so are you blaming yourselves?????
Lol ….
Luv it I won’t lose any sleep over you dip sticks …
Mark me down I seriously don’t care lol …
I am not voting ever again for pillocks who blame everyone else but theirselves …
They are all so smug like the the thumbs down brigade I laugh at them all……hahaha …
Vectis is NOT owned by anyone connected with Ryde Town council. Please stop spouting libellous sh*te that you read in another thread……
Sadly I do not like any of the candidates, so come vote time I will cross them all out.. there is no one it seems that is going to do the job fairly, for the people…
Stick to running your excellent chippy.
Excellent , I would rather eat the vomit on the floor outside
I am a Ryde town councillor i must say that councillor Jordan is wrong, we have borrowed £500000 for the marina/harbour, We will be spending the other amounts that Mr Booth has stated, as for the £40000 being spent on appley tower it is match funding and the tower will when up together along with 4 new beach huts be given to a private company owned by one of his” our Ryde councillors “for free, as for stating Mr Booth is a “conservative” it seems from my experience that anyone that disagrees with him must be a conservative, I know Mr Booth and he is not a conservative or a member but a business man, but to call someone a “liar “because of something they said on an election leaflet that you don’t like is very unprofessional !
We don’t like facts on this island
Mr booth, the owner of the cod father! The chips served from this venue are probably the worst on the island. He doesn’t even use fresh potatoes, all of your fried chips are frozen. Hardly a local chippy is it. Even my friends dog wouldn’t eat the crap that he produces. That says it all.
although the chippy has been there far longer than many other businesses in that area and always seems to have a queue – so cannot be that bad.
Why didn’t you print my first comment on this thread yesterday?
It was probably as dire as the rest of your comments.