The council share this latest news. Ed
More than £10 million is proposed to be spent by the council on capital projects to benefit the Island in areas such as regeneration, education and social care.
£1.7 million will be provided as grants to individuals to adapt their homes so they can meet their care needs and remain living independently.
Cash from this pot is also proposed to go on upgrading facilities at all council residential homes, including substantial work at Gouldings in Freshwater and Adelaide in Ryde. This work will help support St Mary’s Hospital by offering alternative care when people are medically fit for discharge.
Education is also a major proposed beneficiary with £1.24 million earmarked to maintain and improve schools’ infrastructure across the Island, plus a further £850,000 to extend Shalfleet Primary School to offer 35 much needed pre-school places. The multi-use games area (Muga) at Queensgate Primary School in East Cowes is set to receive £70,000 to improve its playing surface.
Other notable proposed capital investments are:
- £300,000 to repair harbour walls and £240,000 on coastal defences with repairs of sea walls and replanking of groynes at numerous locations.
- £214,000 for County Hall to reconfigure the ground floor reception area to provide a one-stop shop facility which can be used by other organisations and as part of our commitment to One Public Service for the Island.
- £940,000 to fund a programme of fleet replacement and new thermal protection equipment for the Island’s fire and rescue service.
- £515,000 for improvements at the Heights Leisure Centre in Sandown by extending the Tone Zone gym and converting one squash court into a new spin studio. The work should increase annual revenue by nearly £104,000.
- £75,000 a year until 2021 to deliver vital improvements to the Island’s 530-mile network of public footpaths, bridleways and byways.
Leader of the Isle of Wight council, Cllr Dave Stewart, said:
“Despite many pressures on the budget we have found money for important projects that will enhance residents’ lives, protect our Island and, crucially, invest in our long-term future.
“The position of the council is one where we will continue to use taxpayers’ money wisely and innovatively for capital projects so we can find ways to grow our Island’s economy and generate the income we need to improve facilities, services and the lives of our residents – young and old.
“It’s also important to stress that local government finance rules do not allow us to use our capital funds to support our everyday spending. We can use these funds to invest in activities and projects that will help to reduce our expenditure or increase our income, to help our overall financial position.”
Details can be found in the paper below.
IWC Budget Proposals PAPER C by OnTheWightNews on Scribd
Image: Phillip Taylor under CC BY 2.0
