The Isle of Wight Council’s annual report — highlighting services, projects and achievements in 2019/20 — was formally presented by council leader Dave Stewart to Full Council last week.
The report features highpoints and progress made against the corporate plan across a range of council activities, including:
- innovations within adult social care recognised as national best practice for getting people home from care settings much quicker than ever before;
- Ofsted recognition of special educational needs and disability (SEND) services that ensure children’s needs are identified early and that they receive the support they need;
- a significant reduction in rough sleeping with 302 homeless preventions;
- 376 people supported to live independently;
- the extension of the council’s popular green waste collection service;
- trading standards interventions which have saved £450,000 for consumers; and
- the success of the Island’s bid to host the final leg of Tour of Britain cycle race in 2022.
Councillor Stewart said:
“At the core of our achievements and our ambition is the delivery of our strategic vision ‘for the Isle of Wight to be an inspiring place in which to grow up, work, live and visit’.
“As we move into the start of a new council year, achieving the vision has never been more important to the Island, as we seek to move forward from the challenges that we have and continue to face with the coronavirus pandemic.”
The report can be accessed at www.iow.gov.uk/documentlibrary/view/isle-of-wight-council-annual-report-2019-2020.
Councillor Stewart added:
“As leader of the council, it remains my personal ambition to ensure that the commitments we have made to our local community remain at the heart of our leadership and decision-making.
Article continues below this advertisement “I wish to thank all those who have contributed to the level of service being provided by the council and in particular to pay tribute to our staff and partners and all those volunteers and community groups who have supported the Island so superbly during the height of the coronavirus.”
John Metcalfe, the council’s chief executive, added:
“It is a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside all our staff — they share my passion to be the best and do the very best we can for our Island community.
“Never have I seen that more than in their amazing efforts to protect our community and prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“They are a team who will always do their best for the community and of whom we can all be very proud.”
I have just wasted 15 minutes of my life sifting through this document, more fool me, not much plot, no substance worth reading about and most importantly there is NO mention of any mistakes, bad management, or anything that would make the council members seem human. Love to know how much this fairytale took to produce. I love the last comment in the article here by John Metcalfe, one of Councillor “Pugwash” Stewarts lackies, “They are a team who will always do their best for the community and of whom we can all be very proud.” Doing your best for the community, really since when, destroying green spaces to build extra houses for 2nd home owners, allowing the ferries to still bring holidaymakers over here, despite Covid being on the rise, allowing pubs and eateries to flout the rules, of course that depends if the owners are rich and powerful and give out nice deals and back handers to you lot. Corrupt to the core, and the icing on the cake WAS, (Cue drum roll) Not a single offer of any council tax reduction for those people who could not work during the lockdown. I.W. Council striving to take your money and not give a stuff about your health.
Only 7 good points, very poor performance considering all the money wasting schemes and bad decisions taken.
The bad list far excides the good list.
This is not a proper balanced report. Are you trying to tell me, a CT payer, that everything you did was good and successful and that nothing went wrong and that we had value for money? Come on pull the other leg.
The trouble is, Stewart probably believes all this guff. Metcalfe and Co at least know the truth, yet they are prepared to put their names to a work of fabulous fabrication.
Money’s worth? Certainly. Why not increase their allowances? Oh, sorry, they just have.
Well I won’t even bother reading it, no doubt all about patting themselves on the back.
Load of Rubish
This council have still lost my vote
IE this should be in the breaking new section
not hid out of the way
This should be archived in the ‘fiction section’ of the county records, that or kept on the shelf with ‘Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales’
If YOU don’t vote them OUT next time, then you are part of the problem. DO IT.