Islanders could soon hear the latest on the ‘perilous financial state’ of the Isle of Wight Council.
The policy, finance and resources (PFR) committee is due a verbal update on the local authority’s finances tomorrow (Thursday) following fears earlier this year that a Section 114 notice – the closest a council can get to bankruptcy – is not far off.
At the end of May, County Hall’s newly elected leader, Councillor Jonathan Bacon, said the biggest issues on the horizon were devolution and the ‘perilous financial state we’re in’.
A report brought to full council in February said the 2026/27 budget, which ultimately included a 4.99% council tax hike and a staff reduction programme totalling £541,000, will be the ‘most challenging ever considered’ for the past ten years.
It cited a structural deficit of almost £20million which if ‘left unattended’ could rise to £65 million by 2029/30.
Three key drivers of the deficit were mentioned: the ‘rapidly escalating’ costs of adult social care, the doubling in cost of the waste contract and a £3.1 million cut in government funding.
In March, senior council officers told the PFR committee a key source of funding for financially distressed local authorities that was referred to in County Hall’s 2026/27 budget plans, Exceptional Financial Support (EFS), may not have to be used.
The passed 2026/27 budget included £12.9 million of EFS, additional spending in adult social care of £14.8 million and children’s services of £3.9 million as well as £6.5 million extra for waste services.
PFR committee councillors are due to meet at County Hall at 17:00 tomorrow (9th July).
The wastage in county hall alone is staggering.
When I worked there our money was being wasted on buffets at useless meetings. The fiddling of expenses was top of the list.
They employ too much staff.
Too many employees are getting paid ridiculously salaries.
I know how to raise more revenue
Islandwide parking permits.
ULEZ / CLEAN AIR ZONES
CONGESTION CHARGE IN NEWPORT DURING
RUSH HOUR ( mornings and early evenings)
7AM – 10AM and 3PM – 6PM
ALSO TOW VEHICLES WHO PARK ILLEGALLY AWAY
AND MAKE THEM PAY A HUGE FEE TO GET THEIR VEHICLE
BACK.
INSTALLING SPEED CAMERA’S WOULD MAKE MILLIONS OF POUND FOR THE ISLAND.
Job done.
What your ramblings do not mention is the cost of such schemes which will take years to make a return, the financial cliff edge that the council is under is now, the favourite isle of wight pasttime is what road to close todayy means that commuters may not have a choice but to travel through newport although most would giove it a wide berth normally.
I am thinking if ways of saving this poorly run
Council
Enough is Enough, as one of the very few council tax payers and workers on the island , why should I be penalised for driving into Newport for work ????????, how about cracking down on the taxies for school ?, get the parents to drive their own kids , get more people paying council tax, the list is endless, but as usual let’s tax the working people even more ! Many of us workers are on minimum wage wage and probably worse off than those on benefits and all the freebies . I’m sick of it
Installing speed cameras would make nothing for the Island. All income from speed cameras goes to the Treasury Consolidated Fund. Nothing is returned to the local area either to police or local authority. So wherever you get your £1m figure from (which I suspect is a finger in the air) it won’t help the Island finances one iota.
There are no big cities here so the air quality is quite acceptable. Why do you wish to penalize poorer people who can’t afford a new car?
As for speed cameras, they don’t bring in anything like as much as hoped for when installed in local areas. Everyone knows where they are.
Island wide parking permits? Why do you hate tourists so much?
Congestion charge in Newport? We really don’t need those jobs do we.
Do you actually think anything through? Anything?
The only thing that makes sense here is that you don’t own a car and would like to punish those that do.
Stop the majority of the ‘SEND’ malingerers and that wld save a fortune! Also, buy one bus that can pick them all up and drop off at school and save millions in 1 taxi per child nonsense
Zoe
One needs brains to work that out, the Council don’t
employ people with such.
John
I think you’d first need to have a word with the multi-displinary teams comprising all the various doctors, psychiatrists and consultants as well as the myriad of education experts who finally report and issue a SEND diagnosis before you tell kids they have no rights to access the education every other child takes for granted.
There are roughly 400 children currently needing transport, living at various addresses across the island and attending various different establishments…which ‘one bus’ could you recommend that will get them all at their destinations by 9am please? What time will the first child need picking up in your massive round the island trip? How late will the last one get home? How might that all affect an autistic kid with sensory/social/anxiety issues?
The biggest waste of money in my view is all those who did minimum of 11 years free schooling and still came out as thick as mince with zero critical thinking skills.
I disagree with you , why should the tax payer pick up the , very expensive’ tab , how many of those parents have cars and can take their own children????, just because you are offered a taxi doesn’t mean you need it . Take responsibility for your own kids and before you have a go , j had 3 at 3 different locations and never dreamt of draining the council and I worked . This country if full of entitled people
They don’t need all those pool cars for a start and they pay consultants to do the job they are supposed to be doing so paying twice.
County Hall is so so wasteful.
They sure know how to waste tax payers money.
It is what they do best.
But the overwhelming chunk (£29m) goes on Children’s Services and Adult Social Care which the council has a statutory duty to provide. Perhaps if more people took a more responsibe approach to having children and more families looked after their elderly instead of relying on carers paid by the council the bill would be reduced.
I wonder if they run their own financial affairs the same the mind boggles
They could charge island roads per hour for road closures. That should make a few million
Start by shaking up the entire council by cutting down on too many chiefs and not enough Indians
Cut the ridiculous high salaries and bonuses and work from there
You’re already stretching ordinary people to the limit with excess increases everywhere maybe it’s time to start from basics and start from home base