There are no plans to close leisure centres to help the Isle of Wight Council balance the books, despite fears to the contrary being made public in November.
That was the message from the leisure services lead cabinet member of the Isle of Wight Council last week.
It came in the wake of Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council considering taking on Medina Leisure Centre should the Isle of Wight Council (IWC) get rid of it due to ongoing financial pressures.
Last month, IWC cabinet member for adult social care, Councillor Karl Love said in order to balance the books, leisure centres, among other services, would have to close, as has been done elsewhere in the country.
With less than four months left of the council’s financial year, the adult social care service is already set to go over its budget by £2,647,000 due to rising costs, the pressure to provide care packages and the struggle to recruit staff.
Councillor Love said the council needed to be prepared to make some very difficult decisions unless the government stepped in and gave adult social care the money it had promised.
The council-owned 1Leisure service has been slow to recover from COVID-19, with membership levels not returning to pre-pandemic levels, and is facing a budget deficit of £1,279,000.
A review of the services is being undertaken and the findings will help see where some of the issues are. However, Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, cabinet member for regeneration and business development, speaking at the community council meeting earlier this week, said the review was always going to happen but there were no plans at the moment to close leisure centres.
Councillor Jones-Evans called Councillor Love’s comments an unguarded remark but said it was not what the Island was looking at. She said this matter was not something that needed to be debated now but she did not have a crystal ball to see what could happen in the future.
Councillor Andrew Garratt, vice-chair of the community council, warned the council cabinet members about sending messages that could alarm the public.
Community councillors said the issue should be put on the backburner.
What many working people are unaware of is those on state benefits such as U/C or tax credits DON’T have to pay for using such.
So, as always, they whinge and get the most given them, yet pay for very little, as their rent, council tax is heavily or totally subsidised, they get thousands a year in tax credits, family allowance and working tax credits IF they can be bothered to work for 16 hours a week.
Free food, free school meals, extra help with heating, free school transport, uniforms, and even more if one of their brood is disabled or has an ‘isim’
Free dental care and prescriptions for the entire family.
So, MAKE them pay for a luxury that many working can’t now afford.
Don’t you want to tarmac over it?
Right wing diatribe.
I bet you go to church.
Seems like you protest too much. I guess ivy has hit the nail on the head, and you don’t like the truth about yourself and ilk being told just how it really is.
Dont fret, the Gov will keep paying spongers to breed as they need cheap factory fodder and own land and property to gain by more ‘needy’ spongers wanting a home for their numerous clones, making the politicians and ilk richer.
Get you facts right
She has got them right and understated what many receive, hence those claiming such and more are only insulting the woman.
For they want to keep the pretence that ‘they’ are the worst off, when many are far far better off than working people.
Many people working full time can get working tax credits or UC, that doesn’t entitled them to free access to the leisure centres, so she hasn’t got her facts right
And I should think not. IF you are working full time then you earn enough to pay for yourself if you then get U.C or tax credits AS WELL.
You prove her right as she is saying that those getting U.C or tax credits SHOULD pay, but many don’t pay anything, and even those working full time, BECAUSE they get tax credits or U.C then are ALL able to get subsidised rent and c.tax, as well as free dental care and prescriptions for the entire family.
So what do you expect to happen, to earn a full time wage, receive tax credits as well, and then STILL not pay for YOUR CHOICE to go to such places.
My God no wonder the country is in a mess with such greedy people wanting it all ways.
Don’t we have a new ceo of the council on £138,000 a year? Best pull her finger out and think of ways to increase the income on these sites
Does the salary include allowances or is this another expenditure met by the tax payer?
Why is this even a thing ?
balance the books?
Reminder oh corrupt ones…floating bridge..lecky cars…heating system…pocket lining…it goes on!
Money too burn on pointless wasteful things but as for a community leisure centre,well godforbid out taxes get spent properly on that!
Hate to say it but they are elected to serve the public… not strip the foundations of society.
It makes me laugh about the Isle of Wight Council is when they want to balance the book cutting people’s services than the higher wage bill at the council that’s where the problem lies if they want to balance the book’s
Books (plural, not belonging to)
Spend millions on a new bus station for the bus company in ryde that no one asked for except the bus company yet they threaten to close a public asset like this.
If you want anything from the government you have two choices, be an immigrant or run a large corporation. The people paying the TAX can go whistle.
Saved for now !! IWC why not unsave the not fit for purpose FB6 and keep essential facilities .. do something that benefits islanders for a change .
I think you will find it’s all us poor cash cow’s that are in deficit, due 2 our incompetent council ….
Wasting our money on the council office , …
Air con , not very green…
Electric car’s and of course the staff who put them through the most expensive car wash !!!!
New computer system……
Non floating bridge…
New heating system and led lighting in the pipeline….
Oh and not forgetting the fat cat pension pot….
If I have 4gotten anything please feel free 2 add .
Probably helps that the government has raised how much the council tax can be increased to 5%.
This council, just like every other council in the country now spends tens of millions of pounds each year on the globalist fraud of fighting ‘climate change’, with a huge smattering of diversity and inclusion stuck on top – that’s why there is never any money for anything that directly benefits the public, but instead gives them a license to dish it out to the taxpayers, reduce their pitiful services even further and ban or stop people from doing what they have always done in the name of ‘saving the planet’
Why is the council involved in leisure centers at all? Should be the domain of the private sector.