The Deputy Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Councillor Ian Stephens, has this week said that “we need understanding to bring about change” in his response to a housing paper released by local Conservative councillors.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the Conservative Group on the Isle of Wight Council has published a housing paper with a 5-point plan to deliver affordable homes locally.
It comes following the revelation that in the past year, only 5 properties have been bought by the Alliance-led Council to re-house Islanders currently in temporary accommodation.
Responding to the paper, the Deputy Leader of the Isle of Wight Council has said:
“I read the Conservative Housing Paper with some amusement, although it is nice to hear from the other side of the Council Chamber once in a while, as we rarely see many of the Conservative Members unless there is a public meeting the press are attending.
“I have a clear priority to tackle Housing on the Island. I am already doing much of what they have proposed. If they engaged more they might be aware of that.
“The Conservatives say they set up a Housing Company. A Company was registered at Companies House in 2019 but remained dormant with only a council employee as a director. That company is not robust enough to undertake housing and utilising funds from the public purse.
“In addition to this, when the Alliance Administration came to power in 2021, we inherited a disorganised housing service split over four departments in areas where a cohesive and effective service was ‘difficult’, all of which had been ignored over the four years of the previous Conservative Administration.
Article continues below this advertisement “On inheriting this mess I started the process of moving to create something that can work to achieve what the Island needs. As part of this process the Alliance put forward proposals in their budget last year, however, the Conservatives, possibly unwittingly, undermined those plans by redirecting £500,000 from housing to plant trees. They disregarded the warnings that this would undermine getting a Housing Company fit for purpose. Their ineptitude was underlined by the fact that the proposed tree planting was in any event covered by grant funding available from the Woodland Trust and our late monarch’s Green Canopy initiative.
“Belatedly the Conservatives have alighted on this issue seeking to make political capital out of it. We can be thankful that they realise this is now a key issue but can only remain hopeful that they realise what is actually necessary to deal with the issue.
“I have mentioned that I will work across the chamber and this holds good even though some seem to arrange meetings elsewhere and then moan that they are not given the information they want and then proceed to write and publish their own misguided thesis. My door is open, as it has always been. The Isle of Wight Council has scant resource due to the cutbacks from the period of austerity which was brought about by the Conservative Government and wasting resource needs to be avoided wherever possible.
“I note the effort of the three conservative members however to effect change, but an understanding of the situation needs to be grasped.”
Stop playing your stupid blame games and get on with sorting out the housing issue. You have done precisely nothing so far to help anyone. Get out of your ivory towers.
For every council meeting they miss their salary should be docked accordingly.
An inherited mess.
I’ve heard that before.If in doubt blame someone else.
For every meeting councillors miss their salary should be deducted accordingly.
Great idea.
They are paid too much, and what with their expenses too.
Why are there so many councillors, it costs the country a fortune.
Think of all the properties they could build with all their salaries not being paid.
Didn’t councillors used to be paid an allowance not a salary in the past?
Don’t forget the brown envelope perks.
Not only the County council’. We also pay for 33 other town and parish councils. Little wonder our bills are so high, with so many empires to build.
Well said Councillor Ian Stephens, a true and loyal councillor.
Always trying to do a top job, with so many brick walls and hurdles to get past.
And yes his door is always open, unlike others that keep theirs shut. Just incase they have to answer questions or do what thay are paid to do.
Short memory then. He was the crappiest leader of the council we had ever had.
Leopards do not change their spots.
True.
This Council is a joke.
They could not run a Bath between them.
All they are good at is increasing Council Tax.
The Island have one of the most expensive Council Tax charges in UK
One home a year. After five years of massive council tax increases, blame lies squarely with the Alliance of secrets.