Isle of Wight Council cabinet members were advised to not ‘raise expectations you may not be able to deliver’ in the latest corporate peer review.
The review, the first since 2014, was presented to cabinet on Thursday and outlined 11 recommendations, including ensuring all councillors were trained and for the cabinet to ‘maintain credibility by taking the tough decisions required’.
Affordable housing: Main focus
The meeting heard affordable housing for young Islanders would be a main focus for the Isle of Wight.
Currently, housing supply on the Isle of Wight is just over half of what is required, with 380 units available annually.
The report recommended the council ‘lead a ‘big conversation’ on housing’.
Helping young people in rural communities
Cabinet member for housing, Cllr Barry Abraham, said he wanted to focus on how housing could be provided to enable young people to live in rural communities.
He said the council had set up a housing delivery board to show how the authority would be delivering both social and affordable housing.
Cllr Abraham said,
“I believe it’s an exciting future we have got for delivering on local housing needs. It’s something that’s long overdue.”
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some additions by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: © Simon Haytack
