The budget proposals put forward by County Hall’s Conservative administration have this evening (Wednesday) been approved by Full Council, with 3 alternative budgets shot down.
The decision means that Island households will now have to fork out 4.99% more in council tax from April, on top of the precept rises such as the 7.4% Police precept rise.
As well as a rise in Council Tax, motorists will have to pay 100% more from overnight parking from October – increasing from £1 to £2 – and bereaved families face a 7% increase in cremation fees.
Dinosaur Isle will run to reduced opening hours and the Lord Louis Library in Newport will close for an extra day a week. The mobile library service will be scrapped.
Conservatives say the focus of the budget is to ensure a financially sustainable position for the local authority, underpinned by three important priorities: ensuring that the Council is able to continue keeping the Island’s community safe; to create an environment and financial plan to deliver the economic recovery the Island needs and to continue towards achieving the Council’s vision of the Island being an inspirational place in which to grow up, live, work and visit.
However, many will likely argue that forcing Islanders to pay yet more money at a time when they simply don’t have the spare cash is not helping the Island become a place to live or work.
The Liberal Democrats have declared the budget ‘cruel’ and many have commented on social media saying that this latest move may just cost the Conservatives their seats in May’s local elections.
Councillor Dave Stewart, Isle of Wight Council leader, has said:
“This is the fifth budget that this Conservative administration has delivered since that time just over four years ago when the then leadership of the independent administration walked out on the Island, without warning, claiming that they could not set a lawful and balanced budget.
“With no strategy in place – and reserves depleted – we immediately had to pull a budget plan together and take steps to get the local authority’s finances back to a healthy position. That has now been achieved, and the budget approved this evening confirms the responsible approach we have taken.
“In contrast, we have seen alternative budget proposals with headline-grabbing ideas such as restoring ‘dotto trains’, rather instead of focusing on how to keep our community safe. Other proposals have suggested raiding reserves, which would leave them at a dangerously low level.
“The council tax rise of 4.99% – which Liberal Democrat and Independent alternatives also supported – generates additional income of just £4.4m. Whilst it is not sufficient to cover all additional costs on its own, it is necessary in order that we can meet our social care responsibilities (and 3% of the increase relates specifically to those).
“This budget ensures that the books are balanced with a sustainable financial plan that deals with the challenges we face now and provides a Medium-Term Financial Strategy to meet the requirements of tomorrow. This secure the Council’s long-term financial future.
“This budget also provides much-needed assistance for our community, including a Covid Support Fund of over £14million to protect people against the worst impacts of Covid and to help address important priorities such as Long Covid, Mental Wellbeing and ongoing business support.
“The budget also means we are able to continue important investment into our Transformation Programmes – which is making a real difference.
“By 2024 the Council will have no outstanding budget deficit to cover. This means that we will be well placed to further support a growing economy, whilst at the same time continuing to keep our community safe. This is in contrast to the unmet £7.5m savings target that we inherited from the independents in February 2017 when they walked out.
“This budget also secures general reserves at over £8 million. These are essential when we are faced with responding effectively to something as huge as a pandemic – which we have been able to do.
“This is the prudent management of the Council’s budget in action. Such sound management is needed for a sustainable financial future.”
Tonight’s approval of the Budget includes plans to spend £550,000 on air conditioning and data centre upgrades, £300,000 on 2 sets of average speed cameras and £30,000 on buoys for Sandown Bay – things that Islanders have said could simply wait.
Commenting on the Capital investment, Cllr Stewart has said:
“The budget will also see us invest £9.6 million from our capital resources, to help leverage in a further £46.5 million of external funding. This will result in £56 million of capital being invested in the Island’s future.
“This figure includes over £40 million invested in coastal protection, £6.4 million invested in our schools, £2.9 million invested in affordable housing (and a new Biosphere Centre) – and a further £1.3 million in highway improvements (including investment in sustainable transport).
What a shocking budget for everyone!
Everyone knows who not to Vote Next Election
Vote for the GREEN party. Probably the best choice out of the bunch. At least they care about the countryside, the environment and wildlife. Maybe could reduce the number of building projects planned for the island too.
You agree with our money being spent on electronic cars then? But nothing too encuridg investment in our disastrous high street’s..
Parking fines and expensive parking charges don’t help people that would like to support our high street’s, business rates also damage investment in high street’s that could provide jobs and cut down unemployment..
Like the council, you have no idea how to rebuild our nations economy, however, I bet you consume everything you protest about…
Forget the high street we do not need them anymore move on.
They provide jobs, and there part of whats left of our native culture…
You move on if you want too, but leave the rest of us to enjoy our way of life..
Only culture left on the Island I grew up on and loved is the drug culture.
And have the Island destroyed by windmills. No thanks.
300k for speed cameras. They must be nuts
With all the signage they have to put up by law to warm us of this…trap, they have just destroyed on of the UK most scenic coastal roads.
Talk about feathering your own nest.
I can’t understand the mentality of these clowns.
PEOPLE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY FOR THIS INCREASE.
What a bunch of ankers.
YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IN MAY, VOTE THESE INCOMPETENT BLOODSUCKERS OUT!!
Tell them to stick there 300k (Probably fake) speed cameras, they can take there sneaky roundabout plans and shove it up with that massive white floating turd across the Medina too.
Oh please! Most Islanders would vote for a dog poo if it was wearing a blue rosette.
HOPEFULLY most islanders would now open there eyes and see the truth. HOPEFULLY a team of more competent people will be voted in May. Do the right thing for the Island, vote these money snatching creeps out!
How much for the fleet of electric cars for them to run around in?
No wonder he’s grinning like a Cheshire cat (Dave Stewart ).
How much will we all save him as he claims expenses to run the cars ? .
Not to mention the speed cameras one big joke !!!!!!
Vote him out at Next Election
Why can’t they buy there own cars we all do.
Don’t ask me , I am not a greedy Councillor,.
I suppose the excuse will be the environment oh look we are being green !!!!!! Well get a ruddy pushbike.
Oh no sorry a bike wouldn’t waste so much of our money would it .
i am afraid we get the councillors we deserve
Come the elections in May the only thing I will vote for will be the appointment of an admisistration to run this island. Otherwise the paper will goin the shredder.
Pirates, bloody lot of them ,money grabbing arse holes, the speed ,wjy they kept the floatie thing i dont know ,incase of buying speed cameras, surely that money could by a bridge ,all wehere is cuts cuts cuts ,bloody joke
£550,000 on air conditioning ???
I don’t know why they don’t use the traditional air conditioning open the windows, save us all a fortune.
Absolute disgrace and totally unacceptable. What vabout all the honest and hard working people trying hard to afford their own homes, and all these bafoons can do is spend over half million quid feathering their nest. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Glad that I am NOT one of you.
Just a thought ,would it not be a good idea for all you Councillors to help balance the books by not using our council tax for your pension pot ,we get cuts and you get fat pensions how can you justify that ?????
Also are we paying for your charging points for your new fleet of very expensive electric cars .
Honest answers only !!!!!!
I wait with baited breath !!!!!
Miss not-so-sensible: Councillors are not paid salaries so they have no pensions. They can (and most but not all do) claim allowances and expenses.
Council officials, however, are a different kettle of fish. Not only an excessive salary (in IW terms, certainly) but a very generous pension provision and, for the upper crust, usually a Golden Handshake to die for. Incidentally, everyone’s favourite Prime Minister has just abandoned the £92K limit he had promised to put on golden handshakes – trebles all round!
Even Dick Turpin wore a mask! SHOCKING!!
Or just don’t pay it. The tori’s should be arrested and imprisoned for gross negligence abuse of position and social cleansing.
Bunch of Criminals committing enforced legalised robbery!!!
At least Dick Turpin only stole from the rich!!!
Pay more and get less, the Tory way.
Tories will never be any good
“Crual” – hmm – someone needs to spell check these ground-breaking articles!!
Well I’m glad the council are doing well as the people struggle. Shove your stupid speed cameras up you bum along with your air conditioning, buoys, your rises, and all the other stealth rises by the name of precepts.
The people have had enough quite clearly.
I for one will be voting you robbing morons out of there and further to that, I would even join a protest against your stupid budget.
What an absolute shock, I am sure. Still, the lack of services won’t bother the people the council really care about as they don’t use community services. Mainly because they don’t effing live here. Pay a bit of insurance, I mean council tax, and you have a bolt hole or three in dangerous times. In more pleasant times you can lord it over the locals and don’t have to try to blend in. After April you can go back to being as arrogant as you like, as it’s legal then.
Because they waste so much money it was inevitable C Tax was going to go up. They are a disgrace, vote the Tories out. It’s all about money, they don’t care about the island and it’s residents. They did nothing to stop us going from Tier 1 to Tier 4 last year. Millions wasted on the Floating, non working bridge. Vote them out in May. Vote for the GREEN candidates.
Next on the agenda, approving themselves another sodding payrise !
Do you people really think, that voting others in will change anything? Tory,labour, whoever? They are all pigs at the troff, out for themselves I’m afraid. The system needs an overhaul.
I wander if the councillors read comments on here, oh wait that probably makes them laugh,on our expences longs they are ok ,they dont care, enjoy your pay rises and pensions
Why the whinging,surely everyone has had at least a 5 per cent pay rise to help with the reduced services that this crooked Tory council are not supplying,at least us islanders can rest easy that our hard working Tory boys will be kept cool in their plush offices with their new 500,000 pound air conditioning which is obviously a priority.
New electric cars to swan around in as ,another necessity.
You get what you vote for,so vote them out.
Absolutely horrific, talk about kicking people when their all ready down. I bet within a few weeks they will be awarding themselves a pay rise. Time to protest make our feelings known. Daylight robbery!!
Don’t be silly the green scooters that fly around. So the big old van that sorts out the batteries on a day to day. How is that powered. Whoops diesel. Get real stop playing at it. Isle of Wight council.
Thank you for solving a problem. I wondered how those little green menaces were recharged. Never actually seen one on the roads yet, only on the pavements driven by people too young to have a driving licence.
Ok I am a postman and I see a lot. Believe me that van parks on pavements. Double yellow lines the lot. And what is the council trying to prevent. Well say no more.
And Post office vans never park on pavements and double yellows ever?
Post vans are providing a valuable service to everyone scooters aren’t!
Also they park there because the roads are so full of parked cars as nobody will pay the extortionate car park fees! And if they get their way to build all these hundreds of extra houses it’ll only get worse.
Still doesn’t give them the right to block a pavement or park on yellows.
Don’t start chucking excuses about cars and extra houses, that is pitiful.
I know how it all works, I’m no youngster and I certainly haven’t got off the last banana boat. So your argument had better be better than that.
The increase would have been less if it wasn’t for the exceptional costs of the pandemic. Anybody believe that?
No! What has the pandemic got to do with speed cameras and air conditioning?!
With the current record of the political parties on the Island, Independent, conservatives,
forget labour they will end up fighting against central government, so all we are
left with is the green party. I know they are crap but not as bad as the current crap.
What else can we do????
Please state your evidence that the Green Party “is crap”. Perhaps you haven’t heard of Caroline Lucas?
I think it’s a very fair increase,I have no complaints, it is in line with most of the country including labour run councils.
Well you can obviously afford it! I wouldn’t mind if the reasons made sense for everyone but it doesn’t.
That will cover the exorbitant cost for the chain ferry cockup!
I believe the Council are sueing the planner / supplier / builder of this monstrosity, can we expect a refund of our Council Tax that we have paying from day one will our money be returned if their action is successful ?
How much more money can our Council try to bleed out of us?
Where on earth does the council think we are going to get this extra money from we are the lowest paid in the south and with lots of unemployment think they need to get in the real world . As for the cost of speed cameras what a joke I for one will not be voting these in again
Dave is happy to spend the money i bet he got a pay arise of more than 4 .99%
Parking charge rises I can accept within reason but paying for upgraded parking meters out of council tax I cannot .The money for upgraded parking meters should come from parking charges only the cost of this is apparently £240,000.So Islanders get charged twice while Visitors get just a parking charge.
Unbelievable! in these times that they still waste our money on unwanted projects and to show a picture of a smirking Dave Stewart just shows the utter contempt he has for us the tax payer who pays his wages.
Where are these new speed cameras?
Not another hike in council tax the third council tax rise three years running don’t they realise that there are people being made redundant on furlough and poverty an absolute disgrace
It is very satisfying to know that the council have invested in electric v