VB reader, Steve Goodman, nominates his golden pothole of the week, in this own words. Ed
In response to our council’s determination to switch our road maintenance to the type of 25 year contract recently blasted by the government’s own spending watchdog and the Daily Telegraph, I have nominated the first “Golden Pothole of the Week” at Ventnor’s Zig Zag Road.
As a member of the IW Stop the Cuts Alliance, I wish to highlight the fact that our potholes represent potential pots of gold for the lucky foreign recipient of the Private Finance contract.
PFI deals no longer suitable
Under such schemes UK taxpayers currently owe £121.4 billion on public projects which are worth only £52.9 billion.
The scathing report from the National Audit Office warned the government that PFI deals were no longer suitable for funding future projects given the spiralling costs of repaying bills over many decades.
Council claims to know better
Our council’s leaders claim to know better, and would like us to accept that in the present financial climate it is somehow sensible for them to commit islanders to a deal with a £7 million set up bill followed by 25 years of unknown costs, at the same time as they start slashing jobs and services to help pay for it.
I know how I would like our public servants to spend our money, and giving away lots of it for no good reason will be opposed by those of us alarmed by what is being done by these tin gods.
Look out for next week’s Golden Pothole!
