VB are reporting live from the March Cabinet meeting at County Hall.
For details of agenda items, check the document at the bottom of this post.
We will endeavour to report presentations and discussions as accurately as possible. Text surrounded by () signifies VB’s comments.
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[18.00] Start
All present. Room full-ish
All Public chairs taken. Starting. Tim Hunter-Henderson not present.
Public Questions
Mr Blezzard – With reductions made, how much saving would be needed to keep all libraries open as they are now?
Cllr Brown: £236k. Savings still £114k
Mr Blezzard: It’s a tiny amount of money. Why not keep them open?
Cllr Brown: Should be answered later
Q: Mr M. Gee – Cuts. Risk management didn’t have anything about the risk to the Islanders.
Cllr Pugh: We’ve looked very carefully. Responded as we could with the cuts we have to make. Equality impact assessment has been made.
Supplementary Q: Concerned about all cuts. Ryde Waterside pool big impact on people’s physical health. Cabinet should be under no illusion – voters will remember (polite clapping).
Cllr Pugh: We’ve put more money in and so has Ryde TC.
[18.08] Update 1
Q: (No name): When will you stop making vital cuts?
Cllr Pugh: Cuts are being made at all levels. Because of the size of the cuts needed, front line services will be hit.
Q: Inside Out on BBC showed PFI as a problem. Cllr Pugh was sleep walking into a financial disaster – as seen on TV.
Cllr Giles: Money is not a loan, it’s a Gov grant. £10-15m per year. Estimated benefit are £1Bn. Will setup a road maintenance business
Q: Glad Mr Giles can see into the future. Will there be an expansion of Cycle routes – we are Eco Island.
Cllr Giles: Not included
Q: Merging has been discounted by IWC.
Cllr Pugh: As an Islander, we need to work within our shores. For the same reason as OneWight said, we need to have our own CX. He’s also overseeing Schools, so we’d have to recruit someone for that role. It’s Government suggestion not diktats
Q: Transparency of data. 800 categories – it’s a mess. 2009 data worse. What are you going to do to make it easier?
Cllr Pugh: We’re aware. Concerned about the costs. We’re working towards more clear way with our new accounting system.
Q: You’ve already got it – it’s been stripped out
Cllr Pugh: I understand that it’s been done very cheaply. Will reply in full in writing
[18.18] Update 2
__Main meeting
Cllr Brown: Been having meeting with some local areas. Six main libraries open under foreseeable future. Five further libraries to move to volunteer led. Should work within law. More autonomy will be given to local areas. Devolved budgets will be available if required.
Intend to test self-service equipment. Needs to be given a thorough trial on the Island.
Further £50k for 2011-12. Larger libraries (IWC without a set closure date) and Smaller (Community libraries)
New home grant gives money for six years. Number of visitors per library per year used as the balancing out money. Extra hours on offer 6.5 Sandown, 4.5 Freshwater, 3hr in Ventnor. (Didn’t get Cowes figure)
ICT licenses and Internet connectivity. For small libraries. Extra £4k Bembridge, East Cowes and Shanklin. £2k Brighstone, Niton.
Comment on legal restrictions – DCMS keeping an eye on the Island. DCMS has asked IWC to be used as a case study for community engagement (!)
(On extra hours – these don’t have to be used, but money used on something else, if a local management group is setup).
[18.28] Update 3
Cllr Pugh: Shanklin TC has put aside £45k – £17k of that for library support. Clearly lots of work put in by officers – and more to come.
Cllr Brown: Our clear aim is to continue on the Island. All 11, if not more (laughter from public)
(I really don’t get this fake discussions between Cabinet members – as if they’ve never spoken about it before – it’s rather insulting)
Cllr Giles: East Cowes doing the same. Extra three months given is welcome as is the extra money. Possible move it into the Town Hall. I think it’s going to be an enhancement, not the doom-and-gloom it was made out to be at the start.
Cllr Mazillus: Cowes TC has set up a working group. The community is starting to appreciate what we’re actually trying to do with these changes
Cllr Lumley – Budget of last week only 19 out of 40 people voted for this budget cuts. With the saving is only £236k, why not spending it, to retain a professional service
(Lots of here, here and applause)
Cllr Pugh: There was a majority of those present and voting. Far stronger than other items that evening. Strong objection calling the local community delusional. We have no party politics in Shanklin.
Cllr Brown: Main the points I would have made.
Cllr Lumley: I accused the Cabinet, not local councils
Cllr Pugh: That is not a question it was a rant
Cllr Lumley: You’re delusional and pathetic
Cllr Pugh: We’ll support suspend the meeting!
Cllr Mazillius: Why?
(Idea dropped)
Cllr Churchman: Full repairing lease worries me.
Cllr Pugh: That is not a question it was a rant
[18.43] Update 4
Cllr Brown: When transferring a IWC asset to a community group. They’d have to keep the building repaired. It would be a light amount. To maintain the buildings as they are transferred.
Cllr Churchman: I’m concerned. Leases are always full repairing. Had problem with Ryde Town Hall.
(BTW there was a banging of a gavel)
Vote – 6 in favour. All options + F voted through
(Image of option F at end of article)
Public conveniences
Cllr Giles: Toilets
(A few swapped around – Shanklin, Cowes)
Godshill and Military Road kept. Ventnor – Bath Road, someone wanted to run it. Bembridge – ones at the Point also want to be kept open by TC. VBG – Toilet there will pass to new body, if found. 14 of those declared surplus now to be kept. Typo 27 of recommendations should be adopted, not one.
Happy to consider approaches from Commercial operators for other ‘surplus’ toilets. The changes that we’ve made should address most of the concerns. IW has one of the largest toilet to head count in the UK (muttering in public – we should have, we’ve got lots of old people here).
Cllr Mazillius: Cowes TC interested in the Rec too.
Cllr Brown: VBC Toilet is part and parcel – it’s an essential facility.
Cllr Abraham: Browning Road toilets – a new toilet block. Was always intended that Wootton TC would take it on.
Cllr Williams: Spa site (Shanklin) – thanks for reconsidering. Poss re-development
Cllr Knowles: When Ryde Town Hall closed, it had a toilet in it. There’s no toilet in the centre of town. What steps are you taking to open another?
Cllr Pugh: I understand that Ryde TC have put money forward for Binstead. Central – it’s a discussion we could have.
Cllr Knowles: I’m reading that you hope that IWC never open another public toilet on the island.
[19.00] Update 5
Cllr Pugh: Don’t read too much into that answer. We don’t seem to be able to go through a Full Council meeting without a question on toilets, so I’m sure it will come up again
Vote (everything in box) 6. (Audience making sheep noises)
Strategic Management Report (paper – PDF)
Cllr Pugh: Limited financial resources, etc. NEATs figure continuing to improve. Exclusions have increased from 50 to 77. Government looking at this. New secondary school operator may be told to take the financial burden on this.
Cllr Cousins: We’ve doing lots of work
Cllr Giles: Lots of waste still going into landfill. Original contract signed 1997, renewed July 2000.
It’s imperative that we alter the waste collection contract. Recycling need to improve. Weekly food collection will continue. Dry mixed recycling fortnightly. June to cabinet. Other waste only done every two weeks.
Inside Out programme had considerable number of errors in it, Like the costs of £11m/year. Implied that we would have to pay the money back. Will be writing to the BBC about it.
PFI is very much in the interest of the people of the Island. Roads are currently in the bottom quartile currently.
Cllr Pugh: Concerns me that there’s determined efforts to stop this. We’ll speak to BBC to identify where this incorrect info came from.
Waste issue – scaremongering about fortnightly collections.
Cllr Mazillius: Deleted 7 Feb and put shortly – very good reasons for this (not sure of page)
[19.20] Update 6
Cllr Brown: We know how important recycling is – especially to the young. The Cowes Beacon said you can’t put cardboard in the black boxes – you can.
(Muttering of “you can’t”)
Stuart Love: This highlights an issue across the Island. You didn’t used to be able to do that, but we’ve now changed it so you can (Calls of “who did you tell?”)
Cllr Lumley: Three brief ones. 1) Scrutiny docs are important – they go to Scrutiny Panel, but not sure what happens after that. 2) 38% of KPI indicators are in the Red. Children’s of particular worry. 3) Where does this fit with (fill in later)
Cllr Pugh: Clear steers from Scrutiny Panels. Perhaps we could encourage the panels to document it better. Share concerns in KPIs – we are looking at them carefully. Difficult in this current economic climate. Will staffing level dropping, this could get worse. Revised corporate plan next month. Island Strategic Partnership – Health and Wellbeing Board (new government idea), will have a baring on this. It will effectively become the replacement of ISP. See if we could be a pilot with the Government.
Cllr Cousins: We’re looking at adjusting these to make them more practical/attainable.
Cllr Brown: A system that raises alarm bells like this (38%) is almost counter productive. We should really focus on the key elements that haven’t shifted.
(Sound like they might jig them around)
[19.38] Update 7
Cllr Churchman: Concerned that whole contract is going to be given to Wilmot Dixons construction – getting rumbling of this.
Why weren’t school separated out, as smaller contracts, so Island companies could have quoted and possibly won the contracts?
Cllr Pugh: Possible misplaced concern – they’re the scooping company. School sites are being done separately. £2m contract gone to an Island firm for Cowes Pathfinder school.
Cllr Knowles: Major concerns for PFI is the ongoing costs.
Cllr Pugh: It may be helpful if you had a meeting with the council officers. Needs of the Island are at the forefront of our minds with this.
Cllr Giles: We’re committing to our current highways budget + half a million a year.
Cllr Knowles: Portsmouth councillor was saying that they’re trying to rejig.
Cllr Giles: IWC contract will have many innovative features in it. It will be nothing like the Portsmouth one
[19.47] Update 8
Cllr Knowles: School reorganisation. Understood Oakhill (Ryde) would be a smooth transition into Bishop Lovatt. Understand years will be split.
Cllr Pugh: Always been the intention to do. Working with Diocese. Won’t be able to move them straight away. Expanding to include the two additional years.
Option 1, 2 + 3 – Vote 6 in favour
-END-
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