Earlier today it’s been said that Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Robert Seely MBE, announced that the Isle of Wight council was due to receive an £3m as part of Michael Gove’s £500m social care emergency funding to councils across the country, as they increasingly struggle to deliver services after ten plus years of government cuts.
News OnTheWight hasn’t been able to confirm this, as the MP decided to not generally release this information, nor does it appear on the MP’s social media channels.
If this news is true, it will give some small solace to the council – despite the fact that all it will do is reduce the overspend on adult and children’s social care, rather than count as extra money in pot to increase services elsewhere.
IWC not informed?
It’s claimed however, that the Conservative MP may have forgotten to inform the Isle of Wight council about this.
Councillor Phil Jordan, the leader of the Isle of Wight council, told News OnTheWight, that he’d received a letter from the Minister (Michael Gove MP) today (24th Jan 2024) which states that the figure will not be announced until the start of February.
Jordan: Disappointing if our MP was privately aware of the figure
Councillor Jordan told News OnTheWight,
“We have not been advised of the exact amount we will receive.
“As we prepare our difficult budget for 2024-25 it would be disappointing if our MP was privately aware of the figure the council will receive, but has chosen to withhold that information from the council at this stage.
“However, it may well be that our MP is simply guessing the figure we might receive.”
Jordan: Best calculations suggest £1m-£1.5m extra
The council leader went on to add,
“Our best calculations suggest the Island may receive around £1m to £1.5m additional money to be spent on adult and children’s social care.”
To put this into context, the council’s current spend on adult and children’s social care is around £125 million a year.
As previously reported by News OnTheWight, the Isle of Wight council will have to find £3m of savings (cuts) in the 2024/25 budget, which will be discussed and voted on in February.
