The Mayor of Ventnor has described his council as being ‘in a dire financial situation’ – and it could mean the end of a free parking scheme. Councillor Steve Cooper made the remarks at Ventnor Town Council’s August meeting on Monday evening following the publication of the council’s latest Finance Report on 9th August. The report’s Budget Monitor section highlights overspending on the staff salary budget which currently amounts to £7,177 and relates to the salaries of the town clerk and the council’s administrative staff. The overspend has arisen due to the earlier-than-expected start date of the new town clerk, Katherine Baldwin, an extra month of employment of Gareth Hughes relating to financial support, and extra hours of work completed by Morgan Williams to provide office support. The report forecasts an annual overspend of £10,657, everything else remaining equal, based on a year-end forecast for the salary budget. At Monday’s meeting Gareth Hughes flagged an expected grant for the council’s youth service as another financial concern. The council has not received a payment of £1,325 which it expected to receive in the year to date. In response to a proposal to cancel the council’s Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce membership, Mayor Cooper said:
“We need to claw back as much money as we possibly can to build on our surpluses because of the dire financial situation we find ourselves in. “I didn’t think that membership was absolutely necessary.”
The Council has spent £69 on its membership over the last 2 months. Mr Cooper also recommended the end of the council’s free car parking arrangements in Ventnor’s three town centre car parks on Saturdays and said the Isle of Wight Council had failed to support the scheme “in the ways we wanted them to”. He added:
“It’s a pragmatic decision – I mean in the ideal world you’d have free parking everywhere, like New Zealand, but unfortunately we’re not.”
Free car parking on Saturdays between 10:00 and 16:00 in Dudley Road, Market Street and Pound Lane was initially approved at the 8th April Town Council meeting. The Council predicted the arrangement would cost £2,518 per year.
Place Double Yellow Lines and Permit parking
Islandwide, best way to generate revenue and
Stop idiots breaking the Law.
I am fed up seeing stupid selfish B’stards
parking on Double Yellow Lines around the
Island.
Is this not embarrassing? Do we not have bigger ambitions? “in a dire financial situation”? – you do realise these are trivial sums? Billy Connolly said “the desire to be a politician should bar you for life from ever being one”. So competent experienced people don’t get involved. Perhaps this could change if we stopped talking about saving £69, and looked at the bigger picture? It was summed up nicely by a “readers letter” about the omnipresent road closures & traffic lights – “have the Isle of Wight Council given up?” It feels that way.
I’m sure the IoW has more than it’s share of highly competent retirees, perhaps it’s time we stepped up? Just sayin