Councillor Ed Blake, leader of the Isle of Wight Conservative group of councillors, shares this latest news, in his own words. Ed
“The Council needs to do better in serving the Island and this amendment is the first step towards achieving that,” the sentiment expressed by Councillor Ed Blake as the Conservative Group presented their amendment that has the aim of transforming the way the Isle of Wight Council functions and reducing the pressure on the Island’s economy.
Key parts of the amendment include:
- the scrapping of planned rises in parking charges
- the scrapping the proposal to charge for parking in more of our High Streets,
- a freeze in Saver Card rates and no charges for U19s on the Floating Bridge,
- preservation of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme offering on the Island.
Also included, are plans to remove charging of parking fees in Long Stay car parks after 6pm and a reduction in the cost of Tourist Parking Permit scheme.
Quirk: Hospitality sector has been hit extremely hard by recent budgets
Councillor Chris Quirk, Conservative Finance Lead, said,
“The removal of charges in Long Stay car parks in the evenings will give a much-needed boost to the nighttime economy.
“The hospitality sector has been hit extremely hard by recent budgets, and this proposal seeks to provide that large part of our Island’s economy with a boost.
“In addition, the income from Tourist Permits has dropped hugely since the last price increase; they no longer offer value for money and are simply too expensive for visitors to buy.”
The amendment includes additions to the Transformational Reserves which allow the Council to revolutionise the way it offers services more efficiently as it looks to give better value to the Council Taxpayer.
Ward: We’ve got to change the business models
Councillor Ian Ward said,
“There are no more cuts that can be made.
“What we’ve got to do is change the business models of the Council so that we can reduce things like the huge cost per unit of delivery for Adult Social Care and Children’s Services.
“We have to give the Council more resilience as we move forward.”
