A briefing on the PFI contract between Island Roads and the Isle of Wight Council is to be held in private tomorrow (Tuesday) – a decision which has been blasted by a local councillor.
Cllr Geoff Brodie says he is outraged that such an important scrutiny meeting, which looks to answer some vital questions about the Island’s highways improvement programme, is being held in such a way that the public and even members of the Council are kept in the dark.
8 members of the Isle of Wight Council’s Corporate Scrutiny Committee will sit down tomorrow and finally get answers to some of the myriad of questions Islanders have been asking about the delivery of the Island Roads contract.
The Chairman of the Council will then report on the outcomes from the confidential briefing at a scrutiny committee meeting on 10th February 2020.
Questions are expected to include:
- What milestones have been missed so far and what financial penalties have been imposed?
- How likely is it that 93% of roads will be resurfaced by the end of the core investment period (April)?
- Was a capital payment of £10million paid in 2019 for meeting all milestones?
- How many times has scheduled work been re-scheduled to the following year and for what reasons?
Those attending the meeting – Councillors Garratt, Lilley, Andree, Peacey-Wilcox, Love, Churchman, Quirk and Tyndall – are expected to sign a confidentiality agreement to ensure that the information isn’t shared with the public. All other councillors are banned from the meeting and won’t be told the answers that are established.
Independent Labour councillor Geoff Brodie (Newport East) has said:
“As far as I am concerned it is better that no one has the information if it is to be handled in this manner.
Article continues below this advertisement “The information being provided will be worse than useless for effective scrutiny. Therefore, I will be attending the start of the briefing in protest. I am inviting others not on the Committee to join me. It is clear to me that Opposition members should be collectively protesting this disgraceful abuse of Members’ rights to information”.
The secrecy of the PFI contract has regularly come under fire by Islanders, who continue to ask ‘when will my road be resurfaced’.
UPDATE @ 18:25 – Councillor Andrew Garratt, who chairs the council’s corporate scrutiny committee, has said:
“Confidential briefings to members of the council’s scrutiny committees are rare but from time to time they are necessary. This is always done on the basis of legal advice.
“Confidential briefings ensure that scrutiny members have access to information to which they are entitled, while at the same time maintaining the necessary confidentiality to protect and uphold the interests of the council and the citizens of the Isle of Wight, as well as preserve and respect the contractual rights of third parties.
“After receiving the briefing, members of the corporate scrutiny committee will consider how they wish to proceed and what further enquiries they might want to make. This will be a matter for discussion and decision at our scheduled meeting next week, 11 February.”
if Island Roads are so intent on hiding the truth, about the PFI contract and all of it’s financial aspects, from any sort of public scrutiny they can be nothing but corrupt!
If it’s all above board, what is there to hide ?
(& don’t claim it’s ‘commercially sensitive’ informaiton,.. they’ve already got the contract,. there’s no competition to out bid them)
I live in Howard road Shanklin 4 years ago we got a letter to say our road would be resurfaced along with new pavements and could we keep the road clear or cars for the work.
We are still waiting and we never got a letter to say it had been cancelled
There are so many roads that are in dire need of resurfacing let alone the same potholes that are constantly being repaired
Because it is MILEAGE not ‘need’ they are judged upon, so they hit the easy long country roads to ‘up’ the coverage and ignore the costly to do, but really needed ones. THINK
Island roads do the ‘easy’ ones so they can meet their ‘quota’ as to do those needing the most work and the most ‘benefit’ to island motorists will mean more drains have to be raised, kerbs and car management.
Whereas do a quite long country road or lane, many hardly used is quick, cheap, and easy, BUT then they can quote how much ‘mileage’ NOT ‘need’ has been achieved.
Most except the council KNEW how this would pan out from day one.
They were not wrong.
Is it Island toads that are being secretive or the Council?. There are several independent councillors listed as attending the meeting. Perhaps they don’t want a shouting contest.
As for milestones missed, some of the resurfacing done already requires remedial work. Languard Road, Station Ave and Albert Road, Sandown have gone soft already with mud pumping up.
Most of the “workers” I see are watching 1 person work or putting traffic lights up around there van then they go and sit in it! Bunch of muppets the whole lot of them! Let’s resurface car parks instead of roads that need it
As all islanders have contributed financially to the PFI contract, then all the questions raised SHOULD be allowed to be scrutinized by the public. Or is this a mafia driven meeting with dodgy handshakes. Interestingly, Island roads company was established by 3 previous councillors who went on to create and secure the PFI contract. So despite improvements, has the government grant received and our money really been wisely spent or to tarmac pockets? We have a right to know! What are you hiding??
The brown envelopes will be handed round no doubt .