This in from the council, in their own words. Ed
A delegation from the Isle of Wight traveled to London yesterday (Tuesday 13 January) to meet with the Minister for Local Government to discuss the proposed level of funding the Island has been allocated by the government.
Representatives from the Isle of Wight Council and Andrew Turner MP met with Kris Hopkins MP to highlight the unique challenges faced by the Island and put a case forward for additional government support for our community.
Highlighted issues facing the Island
Councillor Ian Stephens, leader of the Isle of Wight Council, said:
“It is too early to say how successful our meeting was, but we were able to highlight a number of issues facing the Island and put forward ideas on how additional government support could benefit our community.
“One of the main items on the agenda was the future viability of the council itself given the scale of the financial challenge it has been set.
“The Island delegation agreed with the minister that the shape of local government services will be radically different in the very near future and we were able to emphasise that the pace of change required was one of the big issues for the council to address, while still trying to deliver the best services to the Island’s community.
“Rather than seeking more funding from the government, we identified areas where the government support would help the growth of the Island’s economy.”
Support needed
The areas included:
- The development of enterprise zones offering support for businesses in an employment area.
- Securing safe, affordable and accessible cross Solent links.
- The application of criteria which reflected the challenges of doing business on an Island for use in considering funding bids.
- Support for the reclassification within Europe to open up new funding streams for business.
- Working with Ofgem to help establish additional electricity grid connection to the mainland.
Councillor Stephens concluded,
“We are determined to keep fighting for additional support for the Island and will continue to visit Westminster to promote the needs of the Island.”
£14.5m savings needed in next budget year
The proposed finance settlement announced by the government in December 2014 was broadly in line with predictions, meaning the council must make savings of £14.5 million in the next financial year.
Plans to focus the council’s limited resources on four priority areas are detailed in a report due to be considered by the Executive at their meeting tonight and then Full Council on Wednesday 21 January.
The report sets out plans to focus on supporting the economy, making the Island a better place and keeping it safe; keeping children safe and improving their education; protecting the most vulnerable adults with health and social care – investing in support, prevention and social care; and ensuring that all the resources available to the Island are used in the most effective way in achieving the Island’s priorities.
Image: graziano88 under CC BY 2.0
