If you’re a Guardian reader, you probably never thought you’d read an article penned by Conservative Isle of Wight Council leader David Pugh on the paper’s Website.
Those with eagle-eyes will have yesterday seen an article with the Shanklin councillor’s byline titled, “Isle of Wight: why nature means more than mud and music to the council”.
In the Guardian Professional section, David writes about the proposed Solent Offshore Energy Centre (SOEC). Readers will remember that a bid for funding from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) was rejected in April 2011.
Committed to pursuing project
This knock-back didn’t stop the council from pursuing funding for the project, which they say will create 600 jobs over the lifetime of the project.
The council have committed spending £1m on the tidal power research and development facility and a commercial site on to which turbines can be deployed.
David goes on in the article to talk about “drawing in funds to create two large-scale sustainable building projects” as well as the Highways PFI scheme.
“Where there’s muck there’s brass”
He finishes by praising the former administration for resurrecting the Isle of Wight Festival.
“It was the same positive attitude that prompted the council to resurrect the Isle of Wight festival back in 2002. Then, only several thousand attended the event on approximately the same site. The festival has grown steadily and now has a licence for up to 90,000 people.” he said.
“While we are proud of the festival, sludge and all, there is more to the Isle of Wight than the photographs of this weekend’s gathering might suggest.
“It is timely to repeat the hackneyed, but not untrue, axiom to investors: where there’s muck there’s brass.”
