Phil Jordan shares this latest release from the Island Independents. Ed
In an unprecedented move Councillors on the Isle of Wight Council have agreed overwhelmingly to maintain the status quo for forthcoming year and voted for the Island Independent Members to retain the seats they hold on the executive and affirm Cllr Jonathan Bacon as Leader of the Council.
At the Council’s May Meeting the leader of The Conservative Group Dave Stewart moved a motion supporting the current administration and effectively endorsing their continuing achievements in managing the Council for the real benefit of the residents of the Isle of Wight.
Cllr Bacon was delighted with the decision which provides a period of stability to council affairs during the final year of the Council term prior to elections in May 2017.
He said:
“Our whole ethos in Council is to find ways in which, across the political divides, we can take decisions which are in the best interests of residents of the Island, we are a minority administration and we rely on the good will and support of members from other groups to deliver our programme and this decision will enable us to do just that.”
Securing a fairer settlement
The Council is currently in discussions with the Government over securing a fairer financial settlement for the Isle of Wight under its “Fight for the Wight” campaign and Cllr Bacon explained the importance of working with others to secure the best deal possible for the Island he explained,
“None of us know what the outcome of the next election will be, that is for the electorate to judge and decide upon, but whoever ends up in the hot seat after May 2017 the decisions taken over the coming few months on how the Councils future budget is set and what support is available from Central government will set the agenda for years to come.
“My job is to ensure that we are all pulling as one agreeing where we can and finding remedy to any disagreements we may have. We must continue to put people before politics if we are going to protect services for our residents and maintain local governance on the Island.”
