18:04 – Sounds of the Samba band outside making their protest at the school changes.
Public Question – re:schools please confirm – will do what it can to minimise impact.
Mr Page – Concessionary bus fares scheme – as the Island is a holiday destination – provision for extra funding – is it being applied for? Southern Vectis should have a look at duplication of their own routes before having a pop at the council.
Henderson – grant had been applied for. Will be getting additional funding.
Clr Plethard (?) – You know there’s a budget crisis just around the corner, hence wanting to squeeze Southern Vectis (SV). The free fares for
Car owners will travel by car instead.
What about student 50p ticket and the £1 bus fare?
David Pugh (DP) – Biggest shift in bus use of anywhere in the country.
50p still committed to continue discussions with SV.
Henderson – all we want to do is have a fair deal.
Clr Plethard – Hope that the worse off people on the Island don’t end up paying the price for it.
__Paper on school organisation
Clr Alan Wells: Fast approaching a time where a decision has to be made.
Many people have said to me, “just get on with it.”
Have asked for more options from the officers. Had to fulfill
– improvements
– educationally sound
– likely to attract gov capital funding.
Decisions tonight will inform the cabinet meeting tomorrow.
Want to explain why no change is no option …
– Not altered since 1970
– Current setup is failing children
– Below average results, but with same national funding
We could stick with what we have, but we do not have confidence that educational leaders would make the changes needed.
“re-invision the people at the coal face.”
Need to ensure that there’s carefully thought out transition between the schemes.
The change to the structure is a tool that we can use.
Poorer end of performance key stages 3-5
_Options
Not here to discuss the merit of the options.
Consultation will be open and wide ranging. What it will mean to the schools.
Details at the Jan Cabinet meeting.
Four options are on the table.
Option four – has more negatives than positives. Not one that we should pursue in my view.
Recommendations
Tonight we need to agree that change has to take place
Take a look at Option 1, 2 & 3
Also ask officers to prepare and present in Jan
DP – I’m determined that we get this right. We need to demonstrate to people that we are listening to their concerns.
Government have indicated that they will be reducing funding from £10m for the next financial year.
Lots of councilors are lining up to say that they have had positive feedback from the public about the idea of looking at it & the public consultation. Others are not going to make decision until every thread has been examined.
Clr Lumley – Broadly welcome that there’s a choice being offered. You should also have the courage of present the +ve and -ve for No Change, if you think that its absolutely necessary
Clr Wells – there are some pockets of very good practice. “Feels like 8-9 years (not weeks) that I’ve been in this position” Primary schools do very well, but when they move up, the quality drops. We should be working together as one school, but with multiple campus’. Consultation will be as open as it can be. Personally I’ve not made up my own mind.
Update 1:
Whatever we do will bring pain. None of us under estimate how difficult it will be.
DP – We have no confidence in the existing setup being able to make the changes that need to be made. No change is not an option. We must change and we must change soon.
Clr Taylor – if we don’t act, the ability for us to continue to maintain control of schools could be taken away from us.
DP – We don’t want decisions imposed on us.
Clr Wells – High flyers will not move to the Island because of the poor quality of the education system – have actual examples of this. (*as a point of interest, I’ve heard this from other sources*)
Vote: 7 in favour. Will now go to full council tomorrow evening.
Update 2:
Concessionary bus fare scheme – Clr Hunter Henderson –
We added more to the statutory minimum – peak travel periods & Island line cover & those with severe mental illness.
2008 – National bus pass scheme comes into play.
Reimbursement to the bus companies – need to decide. The bus operator should not make a loss or gain because of the 76.1% currently being paid.
Percentage calculated of 48.05%
Number of those using it has more that doubled.
DfT guidelines – 9p – 12p per trip. 2.8m trip
Currently in discussions with Island Line
Following recommendations
Peak travel periods
Option 9 – is the recommendation –
Current levels – financially impossible to continue.
Recommended to serve a participation notice on Southern Vectis
Clr Abraham – 2nd it. Unfortunate that we’ve got to this position. The scheme is so popular “unfortunate that they’ve (Southern Vectis (SV) taken such a hard head approach to this.” The structure that we’re proposing will still make them money.
Clr Cousins – Glad that people with severe mental illness are included. We lead the UK on this.
Clr Brown (?): There’s been an enormous boost in volumes – far in excess of what SV would have guessed and possibly, sadly us. There’s lots of new buses around, which would point to them having lots of extra money to renew their plant and equipment.
“we should not bow down when we come up against a big stick”
DP – Shift to bus gives a good boost to our Green ambitions for the Island. Hope that we can continue constructive discussions with SV.
Clr Williams – Before SV hike their prices up, they need to look at their routes.
Clr SS – Double decker buses running to a quite, peaceful village – reversing into a road – in my view – should not be happening.
Clr Lumley – Can I have assurances that any negotiations are not coloured by any previous, recent discussions.
PD – We hope that SV will pay attention to their Island heritage in our discussion
Clr Taylor – We have a large number of older visitors – come 2008 they’ll probably make the most of the free travel. Maybe an effect on our local coach companies.
Clr HH – Environmental impact is very important. The environment is one of the Island’s biggest selling points.
It cost £3m last year – and it will cost us £5m this year. Something must change.
Recommend under 56 & 57
Vote 7 in favour
Update 3
Planning service peer preview performance improvement plan
Clr Brown – budget deficiency around £700k
There are over 200 outstanding planning enforcement cases – but there’s no budget
It’s had the service that it hasn’t paid for.
It is a dismal picture – but it is in the process of being put right.
DP – It’s a key issue for us in the perception of the public of us. Shanklin has had some success with planning enforcement.
Clr Wells – really pleased to see the review taking place. Planning is one of the hottest issues for Clrs.
Clr Lumley – Scrutiny committee demonstrated that there have been problems in planning since 2006.
Clr Brown – Yes, scrutiny committee did point us in the right direction on this one. Planning officer don’t really know if the planning inspectorate will support decisions or oppose them. UDP was created for a very different Island.
Recommendation: Option 3
Vote: 7 in favour
Update 4
Undercliff Drive
** We have to confirm to the sec of state that we do now wish to continue with the compulsory purchase orders.**
Update 5
Undercliff options
Clr HH – Where we are now … where do we go from here.
Curent scheme will not meet the need for the gov funding – we know that now. So it will cost the council £18m
Evaluation
No independent guide – optimal nor viable. 50 years is a pointer not a guarantee. Solution is temporary by it’s very nature
Reputation problem for the council
Bottom line – the scheme is not sustainable
Straight to Recommendation
Detailed survey route (via whitwell) bring it to A road standard and investigate Undercliff Road.
All is not lost on the funding for a viable plan
DP – This predates our administration
Clr Abrahams (joint author) – has to be regretted the amount of money that it’s cost the authority to this point. There’s no way that we can go down the road of the current scheme – it would be throwing good money after bad. As it’s been closed for so long, other business have found other routes to income.
DP – Lessons have been learnt. Very difficult for us to justfiy it.
We have to confirm to the Secretary of State that we do not wish to continue with the compulsory purchase orders.
Clr Brown – We do not have the yard stick to measure
Awful indictment of the cabinet
We have no idea if the technical solution selected is viable.
Clr SS – Most concerned that it’s option F only. Waiting six years for this. What reassurance can you give me that this won’t continue for another six years.
In the meantime should you not include option C repair & option D to keep the most vulnerable?
Clr HH – had not notice of this, so I’m unable to answer this at the moment. We can look at option if you’d like to propose.
DP – We can make sure that people living at either end of this road.
Vote:7 for option F – An alternative inland route with engineering works on the A3055 Undercliff Drive (full details of which can be found on council website)
End of meeting
