Key spending packages worth £13 million will be considered by the Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet this Thursday amid ‘unprecedented uncertainty’.
The Alliance administration is looking to turn on the spending taps for a raft of capital investments as part of its 2025/26 budget which was unveiled last week.
County Hall has proposed £2.4 million for Schools Capital Maintenance, £600,000 for Leeson Road’s monitoring and closure system, £2.4 million for highways improvements, safety schemes and maintenance and £1.1 million on a new waste fleet.
Other investments
Other investments include £1.9 million for adapting disabled residents’ homes to enable them to be independent for longer, £400,000 on highway drainage schemes to reduce flooding and £35,000 on new Floating Bridge generators.
The council has also earmarked £1.4 million for adults and children’s social care Case Management Systems, £300,000 for renewing the Rights of Way network and £400,000 for coastal protection.
Improvements
A cabinet report due to be presented at Thursday’s meeting said the investment would ‘improve school facilities’, ‘provide further support to vulnerable residents’ and meet ‘essential transport safety and highway improvements’.
It said,
“The capital programme makes proposals for new capital expenditure of £13 million, of which £2.8 million is from Corporate Capital Resources, therefore levering in borrowing capability, reserves and external funding amounting to £10.2 million.”
The paper said the budget was being proposed at a time of ‘financial and economic volatility’ and ‘unprecedented uncertainty in terms of future cost and funding’.
Jordan: We are dedicated to ensuring our community continues to thrive
Council leader Phil Jordan said,
“Despite the challenging financial climate, our commitment to protecting and improving our community remains steadfast. We are dedicated to ensuring our community continues to thrive, even in the face of economic pressures.
“One of our top priorities is the protection of our coastal areas. By investing in coastal infrastructure, we are taking proactive steps to safeguard our coastal regions from erosion and flooding.
“This draft budget is about balancing our financial responsibilities with the needs of our community, and I believe it strikes that balance effectively.”
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
