The leader of the Isle of Wight Council has expressed his disappointment with the draft Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) for the Island, with a lack of extra cash meaning ‘difficult decisions’ lay ahead. Despite months of work to provide evidence of extra costs of at least £6million a year to provide services on the Island, there is nothing extra for the local authority in the draft settlement. In fact, the Island has received the lowest percentage increase of all unitary authorities. Councillor Phil Jordan has said:
“The settlement for the Isle of Wight, across all funding areas, was £400,000 worse than we had estimated when our forecast for 2024/25 was prepared this time last year. In spite of government confirming they understood the Island had a proven case for improved special funding, the so called Island Deal, they have failed to recognise that with any additional funding. “We are deeply concerned that the increased funding for social care is significantly lower than the cost pressures that the council will face next year in those services. “The public services that our residents want and need are still struggling with the past impact of years of government-driven austerity. Demand is massive and growing, costs have risen, inflation is still higher than it should be and these factors result in pressure on all of our council services. “The settlement is simply not sufficient to meet the cost pressures we are facing. As last year, the government is assuming councils will raise council tax by the full allowed amount as a way of solving the crisis in adult social care. This crisis has been developing for years and in my view needs a national government-led solution but, instead, the government is expecting our residents to pay additional money to prevent this social care crisis from getting worse. “As a council we remain fully committed to ensuring the best start in life for children and young people, providing adult social care for our older or more vulnerable residents, ensuring a safe clean environment, maintaining our many parks, beaches and public spaces, collecting your waste and maintaining a safe road system. “We’ll be studying the provisional settlement in more detail over the coming weeks to fully understand the implications for the services we provide. At the same time, we’ll also be making the strongest possible representations to the government, once again, about this very disappointing settlement for Island residents. “The council has a statutory duty to set a balanced budget and must do so through finding savings and efficiencies, increasing charges for services, increases in council tax or by reducing or cutting services. There’s a lot of work to be done and, understandably, some difficult decisions to be made.”
It’s not too late for Islanders to have their say on how the council should spend its money this year by taking part in the annual budget consultation. The council would like to hear from as many people as possible about what is important to them. Councillor Jordan added:
“Consultation is a vital way for residents to have their voice heard during the budget setting process. “As we plan our spending for the year ahead, we need to hear your views on our council tax proposals and whether we are prioritising resources in the right areas. “Councillors are elected to take decisions and sometimes they are difficult ones. But as a council we will look carefully at what you say — but we won’t know what you think unless you take part.”
Islanders can complete the survey at https://www.iow.gov.uk/council-and-councillors/transparency-our-data/our-finances/2024-2025-budget-consultation/. The survey will close on Friday 26th January 2024.
start by making cuts, cuts and more cuts – that being the freeloading SEND taxi service for kids going to school – there is a million a year saved. Make the parents sort transport for THEIR kids, they are responsible, not the rest of us.
Karl Love said some time ago, that three children were having a million a year spent on their care – that is way too much – cut it to the bone.
stop accepting freeloading dinghy people to the island, stop accepting benefit claims from people who move to the island, stop handing out money for every sob story going.
stop giving any money, to any charity at all, ever.
cut the bloated council headcount and ridiculously large salary bill.
collect the bins each week and take it all
Here here.well said
Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results. Yet here we are, with a Tory die hard wishing for more cuts. You’ve been doing that for the last 12 years and things just get worse. Why you think doing the same will change anything is, insanity.
Fred , if you read a recent report by the office of budget responsibility concerning local authoriites you will see that the main reason for councils crying wolf every week is their lack of financial acumen and the careless in some cases criminal use of public money, I do agree that less money than they are used too is being allocated but like any good houselhold you cut your cloth accordingly.
ok then fred – how about the alternative – the state prints up vast quantities of money, fund everything 100% from central government, which then ultimately fuels inflation, as you have far more cash, chasing the same amount of goods and services and prices rocket, as demand for staff outweighs available supply. As prices rocket for those reasons, people will demand higher pay, to keep pace and then where will we be – hyperinflation, as per zimbabwe and post world war two germany.
that is insanity. We need to see the correct financial planning, with people who have financial skills, rather than the present crop of councillors.
and for the record, labour are even worse – shall we refer to the winter of discontent in the 1970’s
Depends what they are funding with that money. For example infrastructure projects are deflationary.
So you could reduce inflation by funding infrastructure projects such as public transport or safe pavements, and then you could even get rid of those SEND taxis.
But CEOs of car manufacturers don’t like that so Tories will not do it.
Lets start, islander, buy taxing the people who don’t pay their fair share. Like the king. Paid zero inheritance tax pocketing over 100 million. Then there is the Sovereign Grant, for 2022-23, is £86.3 million.
If the council sells the property that it bought on an industrial estate on the mainland, it would have a nice big lump of cash to fritter away. Councils should definitely not be investing council tax payer’s money on chancy investments in property. They should charge us the bare minimum to give us the bare minimum services that we require. Stop wasting our money!
Many places on IOW don’t have good public transport or even pavements to walk sfely. Taxis are the only alternative in a car-dependant world to those who cannot drive and I think it’s fair that in a 21st century a 1st world country should provide something – either good, safe infrastructure or an alternative, like those taxis, your choice. It’s just that being car-dependent costs a lot.
Investing in good infrastructure would benefit everyone, even those who don’t use it due to less cars overall making up the traffic, be deflationary and save tons of money in the end. Heck, disregarding buses altogether, just cycling in Netherlands saves them 3% of GDP in health costs which is more than we spend on military.
if the council want the tourists to come, then they will make sure the bins are collected each week, the roads are clean and in good repair, the facilities, such as public toilets will be functioning and available, the beaches will be clean, the visual picture people see of the sea fronts, will be one of buildings in a good state of repair and painted.
at present we see poorly maintained roads, rubbish not collected, buildings dilapidated, beaches and sea front areas looking unappealing, towns with too many boarded up shops, because council business rates/rents are too high – why is this, because we keep seeing the council wasting money on layabouts, dossers and freeloaders.
You write a post calling for more cuts then post again bemoaning the state of the islands infrastructure. I wonder why it is the way it is, could it be because of cuts???
Only a Tory could skimp on maintaining their car then wonder why it will not start in the morning.
I can’t wait for Labour to get a seat on the Island. The East wight candidate seems to have it well planned out and has the secret seed to plant a money tree.
I like her main focus (I quote) “A leading voice for equality nationally, most notably on disability and LGBT+ rights, Emily has played a key role in harmonising equality bodies and laws. She has previously led health and local government programmes for the Equality and Human Rights Commission.”
It is time for the lunatics to take over the asylum…….
“A leading voice for equality nationally, most notably on disability and LGBT+ rights
no mention of heterosexual and able bodied rights then
My comment was aimed at it being ironic….
as I said, “Time the lunatics took over the asylum”…
it is about correct allocation of resources, to obtain the best return on investment – not frittering it away on dossers, layabouts and spongers.
And here we have it !!!!
Another rise in our council tax to pay for not a lot !!!!
If you stopped wasting our money on air con laptops and mobile phones for staff,electric car’s, etc floating bridge!!!!!!!!! etc ….
Putting our money in pension pot’s,,,,,,,,,Maybe you could actually give us poor cash cow’s a break for once …….
Austerity well perhaps you need to reign it in !!!!!!
You seem to know how to waste our money……..
So now you useless greedy council…..STOP USING OUR MONEY ON FLOATING TURD and spend it it much more needed ans important thing yea?
Make a start on your very high over paid wage bill
Stop sending kids to school in taxis, I get a bus to work, and I see 6 go by me, each with a single passenger being taken to wherever they are going. They have buses to take the rest, why not these, and don’t give me the excuse of anxiety and mental health issues, everyone is jumping on that bandwagon. Don’t give yourselves a nice pat on the back and a huge pay rise. Stop forking out for the floating bridge. Bin collection, it would be good if when they empty the bins they don’t leave glass all over the place when a jar falls out of the truck, be warned they don’t have any brooms to sweep up the mess, they just leave it on the road, despite being asked too. And local businesses STOP giving anyone with a council badge discounts on goods.
Bus stops often have no pavement and no protective hut whatsoever. Sometimes they are just a sign in a field. Often, like Medina Garden Centre for example, with very poor visibility and no safe crossing to the other side, no speed bumps or other traffic calming protections.
This Is just below civilised standards and while it does suck for us all, I can see how having a kid with special needs would make this unsafe environment even more unsafe.
So even though I don’t have a kid of my own, I feel at least those who have kids with special needs should get help from taxis.
Of course it would be even better to invest in infrastructure and bring it up to civilised standards so it’s safe for all.
If the parents want a cab for their disabled kids – then they pay for it – not the rest of us
So much for Bob Seely’s so-called “Island Deal”.
I think the deal was for sausages’ 😉
Or Barbeque’s
All Bob Seely is interested in is making sure his rich friends are ok
And so it begins
Slowly start to put little headlines out getting ready to put as many taxes up and what ever else they can dream up to change the tax payers.
Same as thing same time every year no mater who was elected as leader or in this case not elected.
What diffecult ..5% from april..
but they can afford to spend 50k on the floaty bridge and are thinking about replacement what a crazy world they live in
£350,000.00 lost on a cycle race, very shrewd commercial decision. Floating debacles usual annual £1 million loss. A very cavalier approach to losing huge sums of money, by the IOW council.
Im no budgeting expert, but the floating bridge and B&Q traffic lights cost enough to bankrupt our sausage fingers king, and were almost completely unnecessary. You cut bus services and replace them with taxis, bus fares are and parking charges are increased killing the highstreet, so you up the rates to finish off all but charity shops. madness.
Could off saved £50000 on reports and paperwork on the floating fiasco for starters
Then why wasting money again giving staff yet more new laptops and mobile phones, nothing wrong with old one’s!. Get rid of expensive fleets of electric pool cars,close country hall hardly and change into for those in need of housing. Mostly get rid of 2/3rds of councilors,CEO and senior manager’s
You earn plenty from Parking Meters, Council Tax and Overpriced Salaries for goodness sake!!
Don’t keep attacking residents by increasing their Council Tax.
To cut costs, reduce the number of Council Staff etc
and surely senior management could take a pay cut.
The only decision the council have to make is what date they are all going to resign !!!
‘Difficult decisions’, i.e,, council tax whacked up, cuts to services, freeloading up.