UPDATED: Isle of Wight Councillors have been in Parliament to meet Local Government Minister Brandon Lewis MP this week.
The meeting, held yesterday and organised by the Island’s MP Andrew Turner, gave the Council, including representatives from all elected groups and senior officers, the opportunity to put forward the Island’s case.
Mr Turner said:
“Like councils across the country, the Isle of Wight Council faces significant financial challenges. Government funding is based on complex formulas and, following the announcement of the draft settlement on 18th December, we are in a consultation period where Ministers will listen to arguments that the formulas should be adjusted to take account of individual circumstances. It is not as easy as simply saying ‘we need more money’ – the Council must put forward properly reasoned arguments, supported by facts, to have any chance of success.
“In the past we have had success with a similar cross-party approach – when the Government wanted to remove the Area Cost Adjustment (ACA) funding. Cllr. Shirley Smart was Council Leader then, and the cross-party group successfully argued that we should retain the ACA which has been worth millions of pounds to the Island over the years.”
Dave Stewart, Leader of the Conservative Group of Isle of Wight Councillors said yesterday :
“This is a great opportunity for all those who represent the Island to make a strong case at the highest possible level directly to the Minister. It is an excellent initiative by our Island MP, Andrew Turner, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the delegation.”
UPDATE @ 10:57 – Talking about yesterday’s meeting, Isle of Wight Council leader, Councillor Ian Stephens said:
“We had a very fair hearing from the minister and it was especially pleasing that we were able to take a cross-chamber delegation from the council, with all representatives providing a valuable contribution to the discussions.
“The minister picked up on the key issues of Assisted Area Status and Enterprise Zoning, and also how there may be an opportunity for other areas of funding for pre-apprenticeship schemes on the Island.
“We explained to him fully the pressures we are facing both within the council and on the Island as a whole. It is too early to say what positive outcomes may result from our visit, but it was a very worthwhile exercise and we plan to send further delegations to Westminster in the future to promote the Island’s case.”It appears at this stage that there will be no additional direct funding for the Isle of Wight Council, but we await the official confirmation from the minister in relation to this.
“I would like to thank all those who contributed to the visit and in presenting our case first hand to a senior government representative – in particular Andrew Turner for organising the meeting with the minister at short notice.”
