After a property buying spree earlier this year, a bid by a town councillor to stop Ryde Town Council snapping up even more property hasn’t progressed.
At a council meeting on Monday night a motion, put forward by Councillor Les Kirkby, called for the town council to stop buying properties until existing projects are finished.
The town council added to its property portfolio at the start of the year by buying St Thomas’s Church and Vectis Hall, as well as also agreeing to buy Ryde Town Hall once surveys and checks have taken place.
Cllr Kirkby argued the town council was not living within its means and warned if the council carries on borrowing money the way it has been, ‘it could go bust’. He said he is worried taxpayers could suffer and may face an even greater rise in council tax precepts.
Last year, Ryde residents were hit with an 8.9% increase, adding £12.20 to a Band D homeowner’s bill, making an annual payment of £149.56. The increase added £240,000 to the town council’s reserves.
Mayor of Ryde, Councillor Michael Lilley, said the authority has, as part of its corporate plan, looked at income generation. With astute borrowing at low interest, Cllr Lilley said budget talks are starting and the town council would work hard to keep the precept down, with potentially no rise at all.
Cllr Kirkby’s request did not even get considered by the 14 councillors at the meeting. No-one seconded the motion, which meant it could not be debated.
councillor lilley is short sighted – interest rates will be going up and he and the others should be subject to a public flogging, if they cost the taxpayer one penny in increases due to them spending money on property speculation.
they should be ensuring that the administrative affairs of ryde are catered for and not their market gambling hobby.
You say Ryde Council ‘added to its property portfolio,’ so what property exactly does the Council own and how much is it paying in interest etc on the loans? A journalist should know how to ascertain this information quite easily I would have thought?
I agree with Les Kirkby, I would have seconded him.
This town council needs to make Ryde a much nicer place to live and work, and it needs to get its finger out. Tying up its money in old buildings doesn’t do this.
The town desperately needs modern public toilets and more ‘socially friendly’ public green areas.
Totally agree with councillor Kirby we need public toilets for one thing and what us going on with vectis hall another pig in a poke scheme
You will never atcheave that in this socialist chav culture, any improvements would be distried within days..
However, the council should not have the right to gamble with our money…if their gamble goes wrong they should have their private assets taken away from them..
Better still buy Westridge Farm, and turn it into a profit making community project.
You can’t buy something the owner won’t sell
Never heard of compulsory purchase?
Worried tax pays could suffer
We are suffering not could
We have been paying for the council to play with our money for years
Every year, Ryde t c levy huge rises on our council tax. Ignoring the councillors concerns over potential financial difficulties. Seems to indicate contempt to all Ryde council tax payers. Suggesting interest rates will stay low, ignores every financial expert.
Lower bills, value for money, not empires.
I don
t recall Ryde Town Council asking its residents if it was ok to make these property purchases, they just went ahead and bought them anyway.t but anymore without asking your tax paying residents firstYet so far I havent heard what the council will be doing with these two properties, Don
Could start with some bins, maybe people wouldn’t drop it on the floor. Are street sweepers banned from the island?
I wonder how many of the councillors (or their family) are making money from their purchases?
Thank you Island echo for your unbiased reporting,The town hall purchase is being pushed through by the councillors headed by councillor Jordan! Against the advice of the town clerk, business advisors and all the other parties involved, this was an amazing report that highlighted that the purchase of the town hall for 6 times the value of the property (£600000) was not financially viable, there was a less than 20% chance of getting any grants or funding for the purchase and as it was shown in the reports that to get the property back to its original state would cost £6 to 8 million pounds! Because of this it would never be financially viable
what needs to happen, is that ryde town council should not be permitted to spend any money buying up properties, as that money is for ensuring that the administrative functions of the town are met.
If a site is left derelict and the owner refuses to do anything with it, then the council should seek a court imposed order, that the site is to be changed from the eyesore it is by the owner, or face confiscation by the council, who will then auction it off or have it bulldozed and returned to nature.
the only costs to the council would be an administrative cost or a rehabilitation cost, which would then be charged to the former owner etc.