The leader of the Isle of Wight council has expressed his disappointment with the draft Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) for the Island.
Despite months of work to provide evidence of extra costs of at least £6 million a year to provide services on the Island, there was nothing extra for the local authority. In fact, the Island received the lowest percentage increase of all unitary authorities.
Jordan: The settlement is simply not sufficient to meet the cost pressures we are facing
Councillor Phil Jordan said,
“The settlement for the Isle of Wight, across all funding areas, was £400,000 worse than we had estimated when our forecast for 2024/25 was prepared this time last year.
“In spite of government confirming they understood the Island had a proven case for improved special funding, the so called Island Deal, they have failed to recognise that with any additional funding.
“We are deeply concerned that the increased funding for social care is significantly lower than the cost pressures that the council will face next year in those services.
“The public services that our residents want and need are still struggling with the past impact of years of government-driven austerity. Demand is massive and growing, costs have risen, inflation is still higher than it should be and these factors result in pressure on all of our council services.
“The settlement is simply not sufficient to meet the cost pressures we are facing. As last year, the government is assuming councils will raise council tax by the full allowed amount as a way of solving the crisis in adult social care. This crisis has been developing for years and in my view needs a national government-led solution but, instead, the government is expecting our residents to pay additional money to prevent this social care crisis from getting worse.
“As a council we remain fully committed to ensuring the best start in life for children and young people, providing adult social care for our older or more vulnerable residents, ensuring a safe clean environment, maintaining our many parks, beaches and public spaces, collecting your waste and maintaining a safe road system.
“We’ll be studying the provisional settlement in more detail over the coming weeks to fully understand the implications for the services we provide. At the same time, we’ll also be making the strongest possible representations to the government, once again, about this very disappointing settlement for Island residents.
“The council has a statutory duty to set a balanced budget and must do so through finding savings and efficiencies, increasing charges for services, increases in council tax or by reducing or cutting services. There’s a lot of work to be done and, understandably, some difficult decisions to be made.”
Have your say
It’s not too late for Islanders to have their say on how the council should spend its money this year by taking part in the annual budget consultation.
The council would like to hear from as many people as possible about what is important to them.
Jordan: We won’t know what you think unless you take part
Councillor Jordan added,
“Consultation is a vital way for residents to have their voice heard during the budget setting process.
“As we plan our spending for the year ahead, we need to hear your views on our council tax proposals and whether we are prioritising resources in the right areas.
“Councillors are elected to take decisions and sometimes they are difficult ones. But as a council we will look carefully at what you say — but we won’t know what you think unless you take part.”
Don’t miss the deadline
Residents are encouraged to complete the survey.
The survey will close on Friday, 26th January 2024.
