At last night’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, members discussed the upcoming report going to Cabinet next week regarding the Coastal Centre in Salisbury Gardens (embedded below for your convenience).
The property and land is owned by the Isle of Wight council and under the previous administration was due to be sold on the open market.
Innovative plans for an Enterprise Hub
As documented here at length, the Ventnor town council are keen to enter into a long-term lease with the Isle of Wight council, so they can continue to occupy the building and set up a new Enterprise Hub, offering low cost office space for fledgling businesses set up by Ventnor residents.
After debating the issue, the majority of the Committee voted in favour of supporting the proposal to treat Ventnor Town Council (VTC) as a ‘Special Purchaser’, recognising the community benefits of doing so.
However, two councillors appeared adamantly against the proposal.
Proposal not supported by Ventnor ward councillor
One of the two members who did not support the proposal was, rather surprisingly, the councillor for Ventnor East, Graham Perks.
He asked,
“Does the Ventnor Town Council need the whole building for one office. I know they’ve got plans to do other things with it, but there’s nothing in here to say what they’re going to do and confirmation of who’s going to occupy the office, etc, etc. Is the building itself capable of taking all the businesses that they are proposing to support?”
He went onto say,
“Is it going to cost Ventnor ratepayers any more money because they (the VTC) have put the precept up quite a lot since they’ve been there.”
Cllr Perks was the only member of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee who voted against the proposal.
Questioning sea views
The other member who did not support the proposal was Cllr Richard Hollis, who made what was later referred to by deputy leader of the council, Steve Stubbings as a facile comment,
“If we’re so strapped for cash, why aren’t we looking at disposing of something at an advantageous price and does the council, council officers really need to be overlooking the sea if are there other premises elsewhere that could be put to good use and therefore using the building for perhaps someone who will actually pay some money for it?”
When the time came for the vote, Cllr Hollis neither raised his hand in favour, against or abstaining, but sat with his arms firmly by his side (perhaps he thought he was wearing his invisibility cloak).
“Facile” comments “embarrassing to your committee”
Cllr Steve Stubbings, who was observing the meeting, was given an opportunity to speak by the chair, Geoff Lumley.
He started by declaring an interest in the issue. As Mayor of Ventnor Town Council, Cllr Stubbings has been heavily involved with the plans since the ‘get-go’.
He went on to express his alarm by the lack of information some of the panel members had turned up with adding,
“And the facile comment that Cllr Hollis made with regard to the potential disposal of Salisbury Gardens being, and I paraphrase somewhat, ‘some kind of glorified office’ for Ventnor Town Council to overlook the sea. It’s embarrassing to your committee.”
He went on to say add,
“The preparation the Ventnor Town Council has put into the potential bid and discussions they would like to have with Isle of Wight council for the disposal of Salisbury Gardens has been extremely lengthy, incredibly detailed and has enormous benefits to the town and it’s embarrassing for me to sit here and listen to your panel described it thusly.”
Cllr Lumley replied, “I hear what you’re saying Cllr Stubbings.”
The vote
Cllrs Downer, Howe, Hutchinson, Warlow and Whittle voted in favour of the proposal, Cllr Perks against and Cllr Hollis did not vote nor asked to be recognised as abstaining.
Cllr Stewart was absent from the meeting and Cllr Fuller had left the meeting by the time of the vote.
The report will be heard next by the Cabinet on Tuesday 17th September.
