The Isle of Wight Full Council passed a significant motion last night, prioritising the use of council-owned land for relocatable and social rent housing over disposal for other purposes.
The motion, proposed by the Councillor Peter Spink from Empowering Islanders Group of councillors, requires that all land disposals follow a strict policy framework aimed at addressing the housing crisis.
Delegated authority and land sales concerns
The motion came in response to concerns over the delegated authority given to Councillor Ian Stephens, the deputy leader and Cabinet member for housing.
Councillor Spink claimed this delegation allowed the deputy leader to control the sale of 24 areas of council-owned land, bypassing the 2024-25 budget agreed upon by Full Council in February 2024.
As readers will be aware, details of these disposals often remain undisclosed under the guise of “commercial confidentiality”, despite the land being public property.
Empowering Islanders motion gains support
Councillors Peter Spink and Chris Jarman of the Empowering Islanders Group proposed and seconded the motion, using a legal entitlement called a Policy Framework.
This approach ensures that Full Council retains responsibility for approving all disposals of council-owned land assets.
The newly adopted policy requires a thorough assessment of land for its potential use in relocatable housing and social rent housing projects before any sale or alternative use is considered.
Text of the Motion
The motion states:
“This Full Council:
Takes responsibility for adopting and approving the Isle of Wight Council Land Asset disposal strategy, which when approved will become a Policy Framework document.
All disposals of Isle of Wight Council land assets will comply with the adopted asset disposal policy.
The Policy will require that any land assets proposed for disposal are assessed for commercial viability of relocatable housing and development by or on behalf of this Full Council for social rent housing either exclusively or in part, with said assessment(s) being presented to Full Council for review and determination.”
Immediate impact of the motion
As no Policy Framework document currently exists, no land disposals can proceed until Full Council approves one.
This decision effectively halts all planned land sales, ensuring future disposals align with the council’s new priorities for housing.
