Key decisions were made at the Isle of Wight Council’s latest meeting which could affect the Island’s most vulnerable and the house-building potential.
In the authority’s first full meeting of the year, elected members gathered in Newport ahead of the crucial budget-setting meeting in February.
1 decision members made which could affect the budget is whether to increase the amount of support given to those on the local council tax support scheme (LCTS).
Currently, those on the scheme pay 35% of their council tax bill but it was recommended a further 5% of help be offered. The move would cost the authority £360,000 more, and concerns over the council’s dire financial position raised question marks over whether it could go ahead.
Assurances were made by the ruling Alliance administration that they would do all they could to bring the help forward but needed flexibility if any funding gaps could not be closed.
Another delay to the Island’s major planning strategy was approved by councillors to await changes being implemented by the government. However, some people cautioned it was just pushing the plan back further leaving the council exposed to government sanctions.
There were calls the plan should be back by July at the latest.
Members also asked questions about the council’s efforts to build or purchase affordable housing for Islanders in the last year. It was heard the authority purchased just 4x 1-bed flats and a 5th one was in the process of being bought.
You can watch the full meeting below:
This council are running out of facilities to close. Stop over taxing us, to give more money to LCTS. Expect they actually pay the low amount of council using other benefits.
Time to Abolish council tax.
What with income tax, car tax, fueo duty, Vat etc!
Why keep bleeding us dry.
And replace it with what? Poll tax again?
Neither, the greedy B’stards take enough off us.
I wouldn’t mind they pay f’all themselves.
With the Fat Salaries and extorninate expense claims and 2nd homes,
excluding bungs from Donors – they are laughing all the way to the bank.
It’s what Tories do Boris. You should know that.
Nadhim is proof of that.
And millions are bleeding the system dry with all the benefits they are getting.
Politicians are the biggest benefit scroungers
So those of us who don’t scrape in to qualify for universal credit etc have to pay more to subsidise those on benefits?????
Our bill’s have gone up our food has gone up ,and no we don’t qualify for food bank’s, because we don’t claim benefits, …..
And yes I know that there are genuine people who need help, but there are a lot more who could do more to help theirselves !!!!! But our society encourages laziness, do less get more !!!!!
Ah yes our social scroungers who play the benefits system, single mums cohabiting more than the allowed number of nights. Other half working but not declared two kids with some claimable problems, “our most vulnerable”, I know the types!
Don’t worry we the workers will be taxed more to cover things come the budget.