Ryde Town Council has agreed to increase its precept by almost 10%, boosting the bank balance by £125,000 but at a cost of £12.70 more a year to the average Band C household.
At the Full Council meeting on Monday (30th January), it was agreed to approve the proposed budget and thus increase the amount asked from local residents, collected via the annual Council Tax bill. It is the only town, parish or community council on the Island to ask its residents for more than £1million, as previously reported by Island Echo.
That won’t be the only increase though… the precept for the fire service and policing element of the Council Tax bill will also increase, as will the amount the Isle of Wight Council asks for.
However, Ryde’s increase of 9.4% seems reasonable compared to Sandown, where residents are being asked to cough up an extra 47% to fund Sandown Town Council.
The budget has been shaped by the record number of responses to the public consultation that RTC held in December 2022 which clearly demonstrated that the community wanted service levels to be protected.
Mayor Michael Lilley has said:
“Ryde Town Council has had to make a very difficult decision at a very difficult time for all residents and particular the most vulnerable.
“Ryde is the largest, most populated town on the Island and Ryde Town Council is the second largest Local Authority after the IW Council.
Article continues below this advertisement “The current UK rate of inflation is 9.2% and the proposed precept increase will prevent Ryde Town Council from having to make severe cuts to services. Due to the decisions made by the National Government last year and the ongoing war in Ukraine, we are faced with the very real triple threat of inflation, a cost-of-living crisis and deep, deep cuts to services across the board by IW Council.
“The Council had a hard choice of either cutting services or investing in growth for the future of the town and its young people. Every year for the past 5 years IW Council has cut services including youth services and now proposing to cut Ryde Help Centre at the Library.
“We cannot allow this to happen.
“We have an award-winning youth service, a fantastic Marina and we have invested and grown the town in a host of ways. For every 1p extra Ryde residents invest through the precept, Ryde Town Council is bringing in far more through external investment and grant-funding.
“Every year the events that we support bring tens of thousands of extra visitors to Ryde. This creates jobs and opportunities. We have to grow out of austerity and Ryde is growing and not declining like other towns on the Island.
“As Mayor and as a resident I am not willing to see this town go backwards.”
Ryde residents have been angered to find out that after spending £125,000 on the dilapidated Vectis Hall, Ryde Town Council has still not secured funding to undertake its restoration. Furthermore, it is costing between £13,000-£18,000 a year in security, insurance, repairs and loan charges.
In addition, of the £1.38million raised by the precept, £341,000 is spent on salaries, £33,000 on employers’ national insurance and £81,000 on pension contributions.
Town Clerk Lisa Dyer says:
“Ryde Town Council remains committed to offering the very best value to the community and we are constantly looking for ways to increase efficiency and generate income to support the array of services that we offer.
“Ryde is a designated Super Council and, as such, we take our responsibility to protect the community and the town as a whole very seriously. We do this by offering more services than any other Island council and we are confident that the people of Ryde understand that the increase in the precept has been designed for two reasons 1) to continue to see Ryde grow to become a front-of-mind option for businesses and visitors and 2) to ensure that those that need the most help will continue to receive it.”
Ryde Town Council has agreed to increase its precept by almost 10%, boosting the bank balance by £125,000
back in november 2020 ….vectis hall building be withdrawn from the auction and sold to the Town Council for the sum of £125,000
just think – if these dimbo’s hadn’t wasted £125k on that derelict building, then they could have said “no increase to the precept this year, as we have been diligent and careful with your money.
Simplistic nonsense. It was brought well below the asking price and is now an asset owned by the town. Even as a piece of land in the middle of town, it is worth far more than that. Considerably more if it used for housing.
Why do these councillors think it is ok to spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayers money on old buildings with no firm plans? Shouldn’t be allowed.
Sigh. Honestly, you need to put some effort in. It is well known that St Thomas’ Church is going to be the home of Network Ryde, the towns dedicated youth service. They currently pay rent for a High Street shop, so now that money goes to pay for an asset that the town actually owns. I believe it will also be used as a general community space, which is sorely needed. They have repeated said Vectis Hall is a longer term project, even so it is still an asset that has value – indeed almost certainly worth more than when they bought it, just for the land.
Increasing the precept by £125000.00 to cover the losses on Vectis Hall, may in your opinion be acceptable. But to many struggling with there finances, it is not. Assets are something that enhances your worth, not a drain on hard pressed taxpayers.
well sell it then and stop putting up the precept.
It is not a core role of any council let alone a town council staffed by well intentioned but ultimately under qualified people to invest in the property market. sell the properties and balance the books
I think the totally unnecessary town councils are being very disingenuous in its reasons for the huge rise in the precept,Somerset which has three times the population of the island is run by one unitary authority with far less outgoings , precepts and staffing levels, as a result the average council tax bill is lower than ours, but oddly they do not complain all the time that things are hard, they just get on with it.
If everyone paid then the increase would be far far lower
But all the spongers and claimants of tax credits pay little or nothing at all, thus meaning we have to fund their portion as well as our own.
Bad enough, but often it is ‘this group’ who cost the most in society by having ‘needy children’ or vandals, drunks, drug abusers, etc .
So the more the rise, the more they save, so have no reason not to vandalise or be a drain on society as ‘they’ are not adversely affected by any rise.
Make them all pay, for they oft have more disposable income and less expenses than Full time workers.
SEE the problem here.
Are you a hacker or bot sent by China or Putin to cause disharmony and mischief ?
Or are you just a real life saddo.
It could just be someone who works for a living and is fed up of their taxes being thrown at freeloaders. There’s a thought.
Been asked to pay, you mean forced to pay or else!
about time they started to make pay what they’ve already purchased.
I understand Town Councillors are unpaid but I would like to know where the £341 000 in salaries comes from.
Believe it or not, the people who work for the town are paid to do it. These things are called jobs. They include toilet cleaners, youth workers, maintenance staff and those who work at the marina. And yes, the marina makes the town money.
So for the cost of a couple of IW Council directors, we get staff to provide services for the whole town.
Hope you’re right and the Marina accounts prove its profitability.
Back in January 22, Island Echo detailed boats trapped in Ryde Marina. Despite a costly dredging operation removing 1500 cubic metres of sand.
Article suggests the huge increase is just to fund a loss making, questionable purchase. With an additional£455000.00 for staffing costs.
Nearly every year, Ryde TC put in an increase way above inflation. Always citing difficult decisions. Many who are struggling would prefer a cut. Look forward to seeing figures showing the profit provided by the fantastic marina.
OK so Inflation Does go down as well as up! will we be getting a decrease when inflation goes down please? Just used as an excuse isn’t it. Are we getting any more for the 10 per cent increase?
More Police? More Firefighters? More Ambulance workers? More Pot Holes filled? didn’t think so. Just get on and do the job you were employed to do. Be straight with people but be honest please. We are not fools.
we are fools as we keep paying rather than standing up to these leaches
But inflation is YoY rate of increase.
If banana costs £1 then after 20% inflation it will cost £1.20 – and then inflation goes DOWN next year to 10% let’s say… it still means banana is going to be more expensive and cost £1.32
Prices would only go down if you have a deflation i.e figure is negative but believe me, you don’t want that.
And yeah, we are not getting more. That’s the point of inflation. For £1100 today you can buy __exactly same value/services__ we had for £1000 a year ago. So no way to get “more” until you go above inflation: for example 11% increase at 10% inflation would mean 1% more police, firefighters…
“a fantastic Marina”, you really are having a laugh, a silted up waste of money behind the biggest sandbank on the island.
There is no way the income from berthing fees can pay for the dredging costs alone if the admiral nelsons want the marina then make them pay a realistic price and not soak taxpayers.
Judging by number of people who park on double-yellow lines pavements and force council to constantly repair them, I can only guess there are plenty of people happy to pay more to show off their wealth in that way 😉
Imagine if we stopped subsidising car owners? There would be riots in the street!
How in any interpretation can ryde be called a super council, it is a small council run by small minded people , and when you talk about the reasons for putting up the precept what about the 2 million that the IOW council is investing in a hub in ryde, why do you need to spend anything on a similar project.