Funding for vulnerable Islanders has been reinstated – just a month after it was taken away. The £50,000 ‘Exceptional Hardship Fund’ was scrapped by the Isle of Wight Council in January, to increase the discount on council tax bills for Islanders on low incomes. Earlier this week on Wednesday evening, Councillor Joe Lever proposed the reinstatement of the fund because he feared the previous decision was “made in haste” and “caused undue stress to several households on the Island”. Councillors at the budget meeting at County Hall have unanimously supported the decision to reinstate the decision. The council’s chief financial officer, Chris Ward, said the money had already been included in all the budgets being discussed. The increased council tax support allows a 75% discount on council tax bills for those most in need. It is for those eligible for the council tax support scheme and who are facing additional “genuine hardship”. Councillor Karl Love called it a backstop for Islanders who have little or no money, and said removing it meant residents would have to pick up much larger bills for the sake of a small sum of council money. In the last financial year, 2022/23, the authority went over its allocated £50,000 hardship fund budget – with 282 successful applications amounting to £54,747. Between April and December 2023, 271 applicants had come forward with only 150 of those a success and equalling a payout from the council of £44,292.
DECISION MADE TO REINSTATE EXCEPTIONAL HARDSHIP FUND FOR ISLANDERS
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So whilst we pay even more, those ONLY expected to pay a mere 25% of their council tax, now can even have that small amount quashed.
I guess as alcohol, drugs, iphones, nail bars, spray tans and long lashes have all increased in price, WE now have to subsidise even more of those who ‘cost’ society the most by selfishly having feral brat children bought into their ‘so called’ ‘impoverished’ lives by paying ALL of the little they ought to contribute to all their benefits and free rent, free food, extra help with energy costs, hundred in universal credits, free dental care, free school uniforms and transportation to schools.
Nice to know its going to ‘deserving’ grateful, useful people on the Island…..
Completely agree with you. I’m tired of working every day to make something of my life, only for the council to take (steel) their cut and spank it on pathetic woke schemes such as this. It’s time people realised they’ve got to help themselves and get of their backsides
You know the old saying, ”Slob around and do fcall, the scrounging bastards get it all, work your balls off, do your best, you get fcall like all the rest
Absolutely disgraceful, the council should hang their heads in shame.
You forgot about tarmac, otherwise I agree with you. Stop trolling the railway. I’ve noticed that you don’t comment when morton common is closed
I have suggested that Morton Common rd, is built up using low level Gabion cages to raise the level on the part which needs such, as cheap, easily moved and allows the water to flow under the then raised highway.
As for the railway, with cars be it ICE or electric, hydrogen or whatever, their numbers on our roads, with an increased population will only ever grow, and it seems so wasteful to have a railway whose numbers are tiny in compared to the people traveling in cars on the same route alongside the train track.
Nothing against trains except that.
Define “genuine hardship”. Does it mean drug user, drug dealer, lazy good for nothings with 5 kids, tattoos and a nice flash car.
I am fed up with this Council giving our money away.
I wonder how many households state only 1 person living in a
Property so they get a 25% discount!
Tell me about it. I don’t blame people for doing that – they only piss it up the walls, give it to themselves and give away to adult social care.
So true, I bet hundreds of households are doing it, the council
would never know.
So many families have children living back at home with their parents.
Terrific, so the ‘Vulnerable’ get yet another so-called Lifeline thrown to them while people who WORK Full Time get NOTHING!
If some of these people (on Benefits) worked and got paid the extra money they have been ‘gifted’ they would one, pay Tax on it, and two, probably be sanctioned against their Benefits.
Anyone WORKING would pay Tax on extra EARNINGS, and, a lot are in jobs which pay JUST too much to stop you qualifying for any Benefits or Hand-outs. It is a lot of THEM who need help! It is high time the people ‘in charge’ thought of the actual Working population instead of pending their money in seemingly endless handouts!
I might quit my job and start claiming I would be so much better off
So Joe Lever thought ‘SEVERAL’ households suffered from not getting their freebie charity handout? What about the ‘HUNDREDS’ of households suffering with increased bills to pay for these scrounging wasters. Instead of throwing cash at these wasters, offer to credit their utility meters direct and deliver a food parcel of common household staples. They’d soon be bleating about that. They already get cheaper electric, cheaper broadband, cheaper water. All on ‘unsocial’ tariffs’. This is just begging by proxy and workers who get NOTHING have to fund this nonsense.
No problem!!!!! Just whack our council tax up !!!!
We will work our butt’s off and earn £10 a week more so we can subsidise all these underprivileged folk’s on the sunny iow……..
Alas no one told me if I didn’t have pride in paying my way in life I would be worse off!!!!!!!.
How about instead of ripping us worker’s and not shirkers off ,you didn’t waste my/ our council tax on your over inflated ruddy pension pot….
Then we wouldn’t have to bsil out the shirkers …….
There’s no legal law on paying council tax, nothing says it has to be paid. The money doesn’t go to what it’s supposed too.as for people on benefits with only vulnerable people getting this, it’s only gonna go to the most needed people. Some families around the country rely and hardship payments.hardship comes in many forms and the lazy can work but won’t work that need sorting. Making fully fledged disabled people work is not acceptable.I absolutely feel for the working man/woman because what reward do you guys get? Nothing. There better off claiming self employment to get better rewards.This country is ruined and this government needs gone, I think people should reasses there working roll to find better ways forward financially
We may have had the Torys in for some years before this lot, but this lot slatted them for years and were on a nice little earner whilst whingeing.
Now this hotchpotch are in control, you’d think for being in opposition for so long, they’d have stored up some decent ideas. Sadly not.
Who thought it was a good idea to pay out more money when the Council is in so much debt. I would love to know who this money goes to and how ‘hardship’ is defined.
Not to worry. Just increase council tax for all the hard working people on the island. They won’t mind putting in a few extra hours a week to pay the ever increasing debts the council are racking up. They seem to exist to provide more handouts to those who have a nice long lie in of a morning