Isle of Wight residents fed up with years of cuts to public services will be making their views known at a protest planned for later this month.
Sparked by changes to mental health and substance abuse services, cuts in council tax support, proposed scrapping of funding for cross-Solent travel and to the Law Centre, and closure of the Local Area Coordination service, Islanders will meet outside County Hall ahead of the next Isle of Wight full council meeting to show their opposition to the proposals.
Galpin: Stop the cuts
Organiser, Darren Galpin, says,
“Hard-pressed locals can expect an increase to their council tax. Car parking charges are set to rise too. We need this council to recognise the harm being caused to our community.
“We need them to publicly call on Theresa May to find more money for the Isle of Wight.”
Where and when
To take part in the protest meet side County Hall, Newport at 5.30pm on Wednesday 16th January 2019.
To stay up to date with any changes, see the Facebook event page.
Extra funding on the way?
As indicated in a press release from the office of Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Robert Seely last month, as part of the ‘Fairer Funding Review’, the Government has now acknowledged the costs extra pressures of providing services on the Isle of Wight due to being an Island.
This could mean more Government funding in the future, based on the research carried out by Portsmouth University which found it costs the IWC £6.4m more to provide services than other authorities on the mainland.
