A near 5% council tax hike has been approved as part of the Alliance administration’s 2025/26 budget, passed at a decisive Isle of Wight Council meeting last night (Wednesday).
Isle of Wight households will soon have to fork out even more towards local services, with 2.99% of the rise going towards Adult Social Care alone.
The 4.99% increase is separate to any local town/parish precept rises, as well as precepts for the Police and fire service.
At last night’s County Hall meeting, councillors voted to adopt budget proposals including an £11.1million increase in adult social care spending, £4.7million extra for children’s services and new capital investment worth £13million, with 33 in favour and 2 against (councillors Geoff Brodie and Matthew Price).
In addition, the chamber accepted a Liberal Democrat budget amendment to prioritise replenishing the Community Capacity and Resilience Fund (unanimously) and a Conservative bid to amend the scope of the budget’s ‘Affordable Housing’ capital scheme (32 votes in favour and 3 against).
An Empowering Islanders amendment to adopt an Isle of Wight Council Land Asset Disposal Strategy and Policy was withdrawn.
The news means that from April, the minimum that Isle of Wight households will pay in council tax (excluding town/parish council precepts) is:
A – £1,578
B – £1,841
C – £2,104
D – £2,367
E – £2,893
F – £3,419
G – £3,945
H – £4,734
A council budget report presented at the full council meeting said:
“The climate for local government generally continues to be one where the pace at which costs rise is not matched by the pace at which income and funding rise, creating an underlying structural imbalance within the overall financial system.
“Local government continues to suffer from exceptional levels of both price rises and demand increases across social care and housing which is destabilising the sector to the extent that many more councils are seeking Exceptional Financial Support from government through the approval to borrow to fund their deficits and to increase their council taxes beyond the referendum thresholds.
“The increase in the council tax of 4.99 per cent and a savings requirement of £1.5 million will avoid the council dropping below the minimum level of reserves and further compromising its overall financial resilience.”
That’s a lot for adult social care, Most pensioners would have frozen to death, or gave up and taken the assisted dying option especially when certain treatments for illnesses have an age related cut off. Plus quite a few will not even reach the retirement age as it keeps creeping up.
The world is de-populating, how else do
you reach Net Zero.
Amen
Decided by a soon to be illegal council, greed to line there pockets yet again, never mind wait until Reform UK publish the report on where our council and others have wasted money on mainland buildings and businesses. Will make interesting reading. Adult Social Care, waste of money, all the namby pamby grown ups who apparently cant cope with real life because of so called “mental health” and poverty, yes some people may have problems and suchlike, but come on it is a bandwagon jumping mess over here. Oh dear do I sound far right, nope just saying how it is.
Reform are just another establishment party,
created to distract people.
The funny thing is, people believe in the
Reform party
Lol, Lol, Lol
If this Council had brains they could save money
therefore not needing to increase Council tax.
Majority of money is wasted on Island Roads staff
and Highways staff.
If I had a pound for each hour of the day wasted on
their overpaid salaries, I would be a Millionaire by the
end of the year.
You only have to look in quite Street ot car parks etc
majority of these individuals park up and sit in their
Vehicles doing Fcuk all.
The money that could be saved is enormous
Labour Britain 2025
4.1% state pension increase, yet a 5% council tax increase
Not to mention The Labour Government taking away pensioners
Winter fuel allowance
NICE TO KNOW THE LABOUR PARTY DOESN’T CARE ABOUT THE ELDERLY. I will remember that, and so will many others.
Maybe they don’t have elderly parents
At least this Government will be a 1 term wonder, with such
an high amount of pensioners living on the island,
I doubt many will vote Lanour next time round.
Close the door on the way out Rich!, enjoy it while
you can!
Lol
Well of course it was approved, it was all cut and dried among them all before it even went up there. Don’t try to bullshit us it wasn’t