Conservative Councillor Joe Robertson has expressed his anger at the Isle of Wight Council’s Alliance Group after they announced the recent financial settlement regarding Floating Bridge 6 is to remain undisclosed.
The news which broke last night (Thursday), ended the legal dispute between The Isle of Wight Council, Burness Corlett Three Quays (Southampton) Limited and Mainstay Marine Solutions Limited, which had been ongoing for a considerable amount of time.
However, the financial package on which the deal was based has not been disclosed, leaving many across the Island frustrated at just how a resolution to something funded by taxpayers’ money – and which has caused so many issues – isn’t in the public interest.
The current iteration of the Cowes Floating Bridge has been a liability since its exception back in 2017 and has been plagued with problems, with the bridge currently still not operating as it should with a work boat called upon on Spring tides.
In his letter to the leader of the Alliance Group, Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox, Councillor Robertson has been honest about the situation and has said:
“I read with serious concern that a settlement has been reached between the Isle of Wight Council and the designers and builders of Floating Bridge 6, but the settlement sum will remain a secret forever. The Council says it will be making no further comment.
“I am sure I speak for the vast majority of Islanders when I say that this is completely unacceptable. The Council is funded by taxpayers’ money – our money – and the defective Floating Bridge cost £3.5 million to buy and millions more trying to make it work properly. You cannot cover up what the Council did or did not recover from the builders and designers when it would have been public information if the matter had been allowed to progress to court. A secret back-room deal with no scrutiny or oversight cannot stand in the way of openness and transparency which you say you stand for.
Article continues below this advertisement “The Floating Bridge was ordered by a previous Independent-led Council when a number of Councillors you have since re-appointed to your own Cabinet were in charge. Councillor Jonathan Bacon was the Council Leader and you have appointed him as the Cabinet Member responsible for the Council’s legal department. Councillor Phil Jordan was also in the Cabinet and you have appointed him as Cabinet Member for Transport. You have therefore appointed Councillors responsible for ordering the failed bridge to the two key Cabinet roles for settling the mediation and keeping the numbers secret.
“You and some of your colleagues spent 4 years in opposition blaming the Conservatives for trying to grapple with the problem inherited from Councillors Bacon, Jordan and others. Is this the Alliance’s big solution we have all been waiting for: a cover-up? How do we know that the Council did not settle for £10 because the fault lay with your Cabinet colleagues that prop up your leadership and not with the designers and builders? How will you cover up the settlement money received in the Council’s Accounts and Budget or is the settlement so small it can be buried in petty cash? This all looks very grubby.
“I read in the press today that Councillor Jordan is now “seriously considering” buying another Floating Bridge with taxpayers’ money. You cannot possibly allow one of the people responsible for this mess to spend more of our money. We don’t even know how much the botched purchase of the current bridge has cost the taxpayer because the settlement is being concealed from the public. Councillor Jordan got it wrong once and is now keeping the losses secret – please don’t let him have another go.
“This sorry saga that began with the Independents (now Alliance) is far from over and may be about to get worse”.
How can that be right ? What happened to transparency. The public have a right to know what’s happening.
Alliance council, don’t listen to the electorate.
But readily heap on annual tax rises for pet projects. Unacceptable to keep this result secret. People have a right to know.
Because councilor jordan was a faliure in his own profession why should the idiot be allowed to waste our money
This is our money surely it cannot be legal to not inform us of the compensation figure.
Has it all been split up between the councillors.?
County Hall at Newport is up for refurbishment? Draw your own conclusions!
Total farce ….
Waste our money and refuse to tell us the cash cow’s the outcome….
Let’s hope and pray people remember this and oust you at the next election, I personally would never vote for any of you…
Waste of space when you bought this heap of junk (you know who you are) .
Waste of space now ….
Suppose it will pay for the new heating system in the other elephant in the room along with electric cars air con and new computer system……
And then you plead poverty and whack up our council tax for the pension pot !!!!!!
Well said Councillor Roberts I am sure the whole of the Isle of Wight are with you 100%. This council is rotten to the core.
Yes, they seem to do exactly as they please. Next Brown Envelope will be along shortly!
Well said Councillor Robertson, definitely a man to keep on the council, but the rest of them need replacing ASAP
Surely this can’t be right, if every concerned Islander, wrote to or emailed their councillor demanding disclosure, and asking where they stand on the subject, threatening no vote at the next election if they do nothing,they may get the message. Hit them where they hit us, in the pocket.
What does this council do ?, It takes more and more in council tax making people poorer – then businesses close , parents struggle with costly uniform/transport to school, energy crisis, inflation etc – expect the Council will put council tax again in April – if at inflation level 10% then this will be devastating further for low paid workers .! Too much secrecy across this council, members and officers. Maybe if hundreds overwhelm with freedom information requests or a leak. But yes if they got large sum how are they going to keep this from public accountants. Can this be reported to government?.
Well said for speaking up Councillor Robertson. I read somewhere yesterday, County Hall offices are up for a refurb, long overdue granted. The exterior of the building looks like something from the 1960s, oh, it is!
Perhaps an undisclosed compensation package from a the designers of the disastrous Floating Bridge 6 is funding the refurb in Newport???
No Council Tax reduction coming our way folks!!!
It is tax payers money that was wasted on this project. We have a right to know the outcome!
Do not miss this point. ” The councils accounts and budget ” These records must be kept as a legal business requirement. These accounts must be available for public scrutiny. As a settlement has been achieved, it must be shown in the required audit, surely it can’t be that small it can be hidden. So petty cash concealment seems unlikely. Over to you interested council taxpayers who are also accountants, and the truth will out. And don’t forget the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAWS.
Call me a cynic but if this settlement was worth having and actually demonstrated that the fault lie with the builders and not the faceless council bureaucrats, them I am sure they would have been crowing about it to anyone who would listen. That they choose to hush it up is merely standard public sector practice in virtually everything they do to prevent taxpayers realizing just how little they are getting in return for the colossal sums taken from them
I thought this new Alliance promised to bring change and ‘a strong disciplined group that respects the wishes of voters’?
If the settlement had been in any way favourable to the Island, the Councillors would have been falling over each other to publicise it. So, we have to assume it’s not and that it’s going to cost us money.
Some of us had doubts when this lot took over that it was going to be any different from previous administrations. It was lauded and welcomed by many commenters on here and CP, I wonder what those same people think now?
Well said councillor Roberts, I agree 100% with what you say. Are you not, though, in the best position to be able to find out and “leak” what the settlement is? Do you know anyone in the accounts department who would be prepared to do the right thing?
its people like Councilor Roberts that will stand up for the people of this Island , not like Bob Seely. maybe Councilor Roberts will stand as our new MP for the I.O.W and then hold a public enquiry into the Floating bridge
I am not going to vote again… what’s the point / the voting is probably fixed anyway. As for the floating bridge, this stupid council cannot see past their wallets.. Pointless building a bigger and bigger and bigger floating bridge.. The original was an ideal size and usually worked fine. Should have kept the same measurements and just upgraded the engines.. Same as the ferries , bigger and bigger higher costs.. charging more and more… Original ferries, smaller less staf, more crossing, less fuel.. less cost to the passengers.. !! Wasn’t that Jordan guy responsible for removing St Mary’s roundabout ?/
Whatever happened to the 120+mil the gov gave council to sort out coppins bridge ??
Phil Jordan is the most arrogant, ignorant and downright nastiest person most people have had the displeasure to meet. How the hell he is a councillor god only knows. Release the figures and lets see how much of a payoff this lot got. Still, seeing as Jordan, parks where he likes, swears at members of the public at the drop of a hat and has probably the biggest stash of brown envelopes of anyone on the Isle of Wight.
If ever there was proof of CORRUPTION at County Hall, this is it!
By all means keep the settlement a secret – as long as you don’t mind being assumed to be both corrupt and incompetent.
The floating bridge settlement is pretty much a textbook case of something being in the public interest and transparency is essential.
Unless, of course, you prefer to disclose it in court when you attempt to prove that you are not, in fact, guilty of corruption in a public office.
Would one our esteemed representatives like to step up to the plat and bring this to the attention of the local government ombudsman?
At least then, those responsible would be forced to explain how and why this farce came about,
Ian R Hefford has submitted a freedom of information request https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/cowes_floating_bridge_settlement
Well done, Mr no name. This will be very interesting. i don’t know how the council can refuse this request as its very reasonable. It will come out in the wash. Get it of your chest and disclose the settlement, you know it makes sense.
Good idea, but an FOI request is a joke in itself as they can redact anything in it.
As Far as i am aware they have to have a reasonable excuse for refusing to comply EG. it would cost a lot of money to give that information, or it would take a long time for individuals to respond to the question. Mmmm as they already know the answer. B, E, D, what you mean redact ?
I’m lost for words, typical for iow council to do this ,I hope they don’t put up next year council tax up next year,all lies and more lies that’s all they are good at
Conservatives may be bad. But this council of independents don’t listen. Will make no efforts to help majority by reducing council tax. As there only concern is to give the feckless more money.
Seems like a dodgy deal has been agreed. Either the IW Council has lost a lot of money or the Builders and Maribe Architect has. More than lijely our illustrious Council has bowed its head and took a hit to its and local taxpayers finances.
what is this council hiding ? why are they ashamed to disclose how much of our council tax is returned.lets open a can of worms and disclose the truth ,
At last a well argued point of view from someone in politics. Why on earth would you consider buying a second bridge given the disaster the first has been. At a local level and nationally sadly people in power have forgotten that they were elected to represent the views of their consituents and not be in politics for their own gain. Agreeing to hide the settlement outcome suggests that those involved seek to cover up the true financial cost to the IOW tax-payer and voter in order to preserve and protect what little credibility they have left.