Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Andrew Turner, was on his feet in a packed House of Commons a little after midday today (Wednesday) asking David Cameron about the troubled finances of the Isle of Wight council.
He asked
“Sir, the Isle of Wight council can balance the books this year, but fear they will be unable to do so next year.
“Would my Right Honourable friend confirm the Government’s willingness to work with them over coming months to help them access existing sources of finance or find new ways to address the Island’s unique circumstance?”
Cameron: “I believe this is a fair settlement”
David Cameron responded,
“We’re very happy to work with the authorities on the Isle of Wight.
“I think I’m right in saying that when it comes to spending power, actually the spending power is increasing slightly in the next year – but what we are doing with this settlement for Local Government is because overall it’s a relatively flat cash settlement over the five year period, we’re allowing council to use their Reserves and also to sell unwanted property and use that money directly to provide services to bridge over the period of the next five years.
“So, very happy to look at the circumstance of the Isle of Wight, but I believe this is a fair settlement.”
The Isle of Wight council are expecting to hear later this week whether they have been granted a revised settlement as requested last month.
Source: Parliament TV
