The 19 new Reform UK Isle of Wight councillors may set up a committee or sub-committee to ‘look at Island Roads’ as one of their first priorities.
In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Cllr Bill Nigh said he feels ‘delighted’ to regain his Lake North seat and with Reform’s result on the Island.
The councillor said the latter was “pretty much” in line with his expectations.
He said Reform UK wanted to be the single largest voting bloc at County Hall, which he thought had been achieved.
Cllr Nigh said:
“I think one of the first things we’re going to do is we’re going to set up either a committee or a sub committee to have a look at Island Roads.
“That is a real niggle for Islanders – see what we can do about that.
“Then I think we need to have a look at what savings can be made and go on from there.
Article continues below this advertisement “It (the result) symbolises that the old order basically has gone and more forward-looking Islanders are taking account now of national issues as well as local ones. There’s no reason why the two can’t run together.”
He said “some good candidates” would be needed for “some of the more complex” committees and added his party has got the right talent.
The full result for the Lake North Ward is as follows:
- Bob Blezzard (Liberal Democrat) – 176
- Jenny Hicks (Labour Party) – 92
- Bill Nigh (Reform UK) – 421
- Adrian Charles Whittaker (Local Conservatives) – 387
Great a “committee or a sub-committee to look at Island Roads”
The contract is a 25-year partnership (starting 2013), making day-to-day operational control by the council limited; Island Roads coordinates its own works through its ‘Operations Hub’.
Not sure that there is much you can do with a highways PFI contract that was signed in 2013. Hope there is someone in the Reform camp with extensive contract experience.
Let hope they address the speeding issues on island roads.
you need to write to your local reform councillor (or perhaps all reform councillors) and demand that they do..!!!
Well done, long overdue. Previous council were reluctant to do anything. Apart from some hot air before the recent local election.
Is there no break clause? If not, then heads should roll. Island Roads is a law unto themselves with no accountability and must be reined in somehow.
There is the little matter of the ‘Limited Liability’ clause (£50,000?) that allowed them to walk away from the debacle of Undercliff Drive.
Oh, savings! Yes of course. Reform’s main mantra.
Except in every other council they have been part of they discovered, as had previously been said, that services were back to bare bones and there were no other ‘savings’ to be made. Reform’s response? spend twice as much in looking for this holy grail, increase the debts, and raise the council tax to in some cases DOUBLE the yearly increase.
Good luck.
Think you’re confused with labour there.Spend twice as much, increase debt, raise taxes.
Obviously you comment without doing adequate research, look at kent which they riun, they have already identified 300 million in cost savings without losing services, one of the more odd savings was kent were giving nearly half a million to charities that support illegal immigrants.
And they will get laughed out of the building by Island Roads who have the Island well and truly stitched up,it would cost the latest bunch of incumbents more to break any signed in blood co tract than the budget they have,sounds good but sounding and doing Mr Nigh you will find with a company who doesn’t give a damm another matter.
Island Roads are powerful and belong to an international concern, they take no notice of our little operation. It’s good that reform are at least challenging them.