Alliance councillors say claims about the Isle of Wight Council’s finances linked to Nigel Farage’s visit are misleading, insisting borrowing has actually fallen significantly.
The Isle of Wight Council Alliance group has issued a response following recent press releases accompanying the visit of Nigel Farage to the Isle of Wight.
The group says commentary linked to Reform UK campaign material attempts to portray the Council’s borrowing position negatively, but argues the official figures show sustained improvement in the authority’s financial position.
According to the Alliance, long-term borrowing – considered the key indicator of financial sustainability – has fallen significantly. Figures show long-term borrowing dropped by £10.1million in the last financial year alone.
Over the past five years, it has reduced by £51.2million, falling from £197.7million in March 2021 to £146.4million in March 2025 – a reduction of 25.9%.
Alliance councillors say this demonstrates a clear strategy to reduce structural debt, lower interest costs and strengthen the council’s balance sheet.
The group says Reform UK’s criticism has instead focused on an increase in short-term borrowing, but insists this is a normal treasury management tool used by local authorities.
Short-term loans can be adjusted daily and are commonly used to manage cash flow or take advantage of favourable short-term interest rates.
Over a longer timeframe, the Alliance says short-term borrowing has actually fallen by £9million – around 20% – since 2021.
When both long- and short-term borrowing are considered together, total borrowing has fallen by £60.3million since 2021, representing a 24.8% reduction overall.
The Alliance also says borrowing per resident on the Isle of Wight remains well below the national average.
Debt currently stands at £1,281.03 per resident, compared with an England average of £1,688 per head – more than £400 higher.
Looking across the full 5-year period, total council borrowing has fallen from £242.7million in 2021 to £182.4million in 2025.
Alliance councillors say this reduction has been achieved while continuing to deliver local services and invest in infrastructure.
The group also criticised council tax policies in areas run by Reform UK, claiming many authorities linked to the party are introducing significant increases.
Examples cited include Durham, Warwickshire, Kent and Doncaster, where rises of around 4.99% to 5% are being proposed or implemented.
In Worcestershire, the Alliance claims proposals are being consulted on that could see increases of up to 10%.
A spokesperson for the Alliance said:
“The financial predicament of the Isle of Wight Council is widely known and understood as a problem of Government funding, not local financial management.
“Residents need to have the facts before them, not distortions and clouding of the truth.
“It is a shame that our Island appears to have been selected as a test bed for national politics using false and distorted facts to entice voters to place national issues ahead of Island concerns.”
An Alliance Spokesperson said “The financial predicament of the Isle of Wight Council is widely known and understood as a problem of Government funding, not local financial management”
On 29 October 2020, Island Echo published a story whose headline read “FLOATING BRIDGE HAS COST TAXPAYER £7.7MILLION TO DATE WITH A £1.1MILLION LOSS IN JUST 2 YEARSSo another 6 years has passed and do pray tell Spokesperson 1) How much that has now increased and 2) How is that a “problem of government” when it is obviously local financial MISmanagement?
What about Farage’s Brexit Bus ballsh*t!!
£350,000,000.00 a week
Lol
What on earth are you on about now?
Brexit Bus?
What – was it parking on double yellow lines?
Bring on Islandwide 15 MPH speed limit I say – what say you professor?
BTW, I was referring to the fact that I (along with many other numpties like you) have stumped up around £10 million or more for a floating bridge that never works and probably WILL never work.
I don’t remember mentioning Farage, who I have mentioned on another article saying “I was not impressed”, but blancmange brains Wightlink and Sunshine don’t remember that either, so you are in perfect harmony with those two (if they are not one and the same).
Keep your impressive posts – we all look forward to them.
Great idea 15mph like some parts of NYC
you are speaking my lingo.
What about Farage’s Brexit Bus
£350,000,000.00 a week gobbledygook!
Better the devil we know!
Due to 15 years of increasing costs at the hands of a TORY government, there is currently not one council in the UK which is thriving. ALL councils are poorer than they were in 2010. Ours is no different, not due to mis-management but central policy. It’s constrained in exactly the same way as the NHS is, lower real terms funding with higher costs. This is due to the interest-heavy backing the TORIES told you would be the saviour and a jolly good idea. The only people it actually benefitted was those with shares in the backers. (Waste, healthcare, schools, social care, floaty…) Whatever figure they put on it, we pay. No say. THAT won’t change unless policy changes.
That policy will not change under Farage, he fully agrees with it. Note he never says HOW he’ll make it better, he just chucks the dead cat of ‘broken, look at the immigrants, benefits scum etc’. THEY didn’t actually cause it…policy did. Policies that people like the failed Tory Farage voted in because this country’s stupidity and myopia voted THEM in.
When they mentioned trickle-down economics…’I get rich, and it will create wealth through taxation so you’ll get rich too’ they lied. They knew they were lying just as Farage does now. The only thing that will trickle down will be when they piss all over every one of us. But they WILL still get richer, because those businesses they invested in are based offshore, and tax free profit. And just so you know, that legal tax avoidance is something that Labour (as much as I loathe Starmer) is trying to close.
“The financial predicament of the Isle of Wight Council is widely known and understood as a problem of Government funding, not local financial management….”
Why bother,? I’m sure that the majority of Island residents, who have a mind to believe the Trumpian rhetoric of Farage and his cronies, have already made up their minds,.. and no amount of explaining the truth will dissuade them.
It’s much easier to believe that there is a single, (easy-target), cause to all of our problems (e.g. immigrants), and that voting Reform will solve everything, than to try to understand the real reasons, and vote for a party that may actually deal wih the real issues.
So Phil if borrowing has fallen why are we still paying more council tax that feeds yours and your cronies banks ????
Extortionate Council employee pensions!
“if borrowing has fallen why are we still paying more council tax”
because costs have increased (as costs do over time… it’s generally referred to as inflation) and funding from central government has not..,.
it’s quite simple maths really…
Just which part of the equation do you belive Reform would change if they get control of the council ?…
Increase funding from central government ??
(I somehow can’t see that happening, even if Reform get in to government,.. where would they get the money from to do that?? put taxes up ?)
Decrease expenditure by cutting services ?? ( I think most people on the Island would agree that services are bad enough already,,. without further cuts)
Cut Councillor’s pay / Pensions?? (D’you honestly think that any Reform councillor, who gets elected, is immediately going to vote to cut their own pay & pension provision)
Because the costs of the services needed to maintain the people have been effectively privatised under the Tories and skyrocketed, you plum!!! What part of that don’t you understand??
The only people lining their pockets are those with shares in the private companies of health, social care, education etc.
WAKE UP!!
The facts are right, oh and speaking about money, why have the council applied for 2 million from the government to house illegal migrants???