Cllr Geoff Brodie, who last month said he felt misled over the Highways PFI and called for transparency from Island Roads, will be raising the issue at next week’s Full Council meeting.
Cllr Brodie will ask the leader,
“Can you explain why your administration is allowing Island Roads off the hook of delivering on the original promises to Islanders, made during a previous Conservative administration, to resurface all of the highway network during the seven-year core investment period?”
As reported by OnTheWight, in response to Cllr Brodie’s recent public questioning of the delivery of the Island Roads original ‘core investment programme’ promises, the Cabinet member, Cllr Ian Ward, told the media:
“Although the plan was for all our roads to be resurfaced, this changed when government funding for the highways PFI project was reduced by 30 per cent in 2010.”
Refurbishment of 818km of roads
Included in his question to the council leader, Cllr Brodie says,
Research shows that there was an “urgent” IW Council cabinet report of 29 May 2012, just weeks before the PFI contract was signed in August 2012.
This report’s paragraph 8 states: “The scope of the project…has broadly remained the unchanged since December 2009, despite the reduction in grant funding. The project team… has focused on improving value for money… the consequence of which has been to achieve the same scope.”
Paragraph 18 adds: “The project covers the Island’s entire adopted highways network encompassing all forms of highway maintenance…..”
Paragraph 22 adds: “The project scope includes refurbishment of 818 kilometres of publicly maintained adopted road networks… which requires considerable upgrade within the seven-year Core Investment Programme (CIP).”
Promised works not completed
Cllr Brodie added,
“According to Cllr Ward’s recent media statement, just 463km of Island roads have been resurfaced as the CIP draws to a close; uncomfortably close to only 50 per cent of the works promised back in 2012.”
The Isle of Wight full council meeting takes place on Wednesday 18th September from 5pm.
