Transforming County Hall into flats and purchasing 3 new dotto trains are just some of the proposals being put forward by Our Island – a political group hoping to gain seats in this May’s local elections.
Our Island has detailed their alternative proposals for the forthcoming Isle of Wight Council Budget, which looks set to be approved with a 4.99% council tax rise next week.
Jonathan Bacon of Our Island, who walked away as leader of the Isle of Wight Council in 2016, has said:
“On Wednesday 24 February the Conservative controlled Isle of Wight Council will meet to ‘debate’ and pass one of the worst budgets we have seen for many years.
“We know what will happen on the night, the Conservatives will use their majority to push the document through, claiming it shows their sound financial management and doubtless spending much time attacking and undermining any opposition proposals on the basis of where they come from rather than what they might say.
“The absence of clear information and the lack of clarity in the proposals means it is difficult to offer costed alternative proposals. The current Administration would prefer to retain the means to attack the suggestions of others rather than share the means to help things to be improved. Even serving opposition Councillors will tell you about the obstacles that are put in their way and how difficult it has been for them to find the information they need to challenge the proposals.
“However, Our Island is offering five alternative proposals that could work if there were a willingness to think about how to help the Island. This is how things could change.”
Our Island has laid out 5 proposals. In their own words:
Proposal 1
Cancel the poorly performing mainland investments in Commercial property and invest locally. Use that money to bring back life to our High Streets by helping new local business start ups and giving business rate holidays to help them get established. Buy up empty properties which could provide shop floor premises for businesses and upstairs office space for the Council, which would allow us to convert County Hall into affordable flats for young people, rather than the ridiculous proposal to spend £198,000 doing it up!
Proposal 2
Sort out the derelict buildings in some of our towns and iconic locations. Pursue compulsory purchase orders to bring these sites back into use. By taking the initiative we could make our towns places that people want to come to and thereby attract new investors and businesses
Proposal 3
Scrap the idea of spending £300,000 on new speed cameras, particularly as any fines that might be generated would not go the Council. Instead buy three new Dotto Trains, at a cost of £150,000 which will help bring life back to our seafronts, as well as provide an income generating business for the Council.
Proposal 4
Actively work with the local community by investing in a process of seeking ideas and proposals from residents and local businesses to develop income generating schemes and projects which support and enhance the local community and environment.
Proposal 5
Launch a full restructure of the Isle of Wight Council. The current structure is not sustainable. The ongoing process of cuts which has taken £19million from services and added 20% to Council Tax in the last four years has to stop. We need to arrive at a new model of Council which can properly operate the services residents expect and pay for. Let Town and Parish Councils take on and operate the local services which they can provide better than the Isle of Wight Council.
Proposal 6
Stop coming up with new ways of spending our money and find ways of returning it to us.
Focus on ensuring that the core purpose of the council is at the heart of everything they do – that being, empty the bins, clean the streets, make sure the street lights work, cut the hedges, clean the beaches and leave everything else, such as policing, NHS, benefits and care to those that know what they are doing.
engage in an actual reduction in local government size, to reduce the wage bill and its burden on the hard working islanders.
instigate a green policy that prohibits 2nd home ownership and no new house builds
Some sensible proposals that I would have thought other opposition candidates could work with in an electoral alliance. Without which, more of the same …
Proposal 6 continued
prohibit benefit claimants from other areas moving to the island, to preserve the housing stock for islanders only that need it.
Cut down on the amount of money taken from businesses, as the council do not actually do any of the work in that business and as such, do not deserve a penny.
make it a goal, that the council is to be the smallest, cheapest and most cost effective administrative organisation in the country, that actually does what it says it will.
cut as many taxes as possible and move to a pay as you use model.
and stop lying!
prohibit benefit claimants for other areas moving to the island, how I agree with that,
Sending people from other areas to the island , some of them, no totally honest , playing the system and taking resources and HOUSING.
But the council benefits of it , leaving islanders as second citizens denying their access to services.
Hmmmmm. Just been watching an on line discussion about mental health……..
these are the same people under different parties who ordered the floating bridge
All the people really want is a council that operates efficiently, stops doing stupid things and stops rinsing us of all our money with disproportionate tax rises every year.
No stupid speed cameras no stupid parking policies, no stupid commissions (like the floating bridge), no stupid tip policies, the list could go on.
No mention of the Airport for the pigs to take-off and land?
You’ve missed out the fixed link and the soft, safe landing area needed for the flying pigs.
Should have never Sold the Dotto Trains that were on the Island.
County Hall in Newport and the Grand at Sandown need knocking down and
Build Hotels.
The Island needs to create more jobs, and the best thing the Island can do is target
Tourism.
The High Street is a thing of the past, Tourism is the only hope going forward.
Swopping a tatty ugly county Hall eyesore in a medieval market town to tatty ugly flats in the High Street is a poorly thought out solution. Demolish the heap of 1930’s rubbish, get rid of the car parks, restore Sea Street and build new houses to 21st century standards with traditional designs on the site.
i my post has been taken down again repeat these people are ex other party members are responible for the present floating bridge
Scrapping the proposed new speed cameras makes sense, but probably best to hold back on ordering any new ‘Dotto’ trains while this pandemic still rages – the last thing we want at the moment is a form of transport where you could be crammed in like sardines with total strangers, most of them being tourists from all over the place. Surely a recipe for disaster.
yes – encourage walking, after all, most people need the exercise, as they are too lazy to even walk to the fridge in their homes these days.