Isle of Wight East Conservative MP, Joe Robertson, has warned that Government plans to cut Isle of Wight Council funding by £13.4 million over the next three years risk worsening the already deep inequalities faced by Island communities.
The warning comes in a follow-up letter and question in the House of Commons after a meeting between Mr Robertson and Alison McGovern, the Minister of State for Local Government, to discuss the Department’s local government funding proposals.
Call for an urgent ministerial meeting
In the letter, Mr Robertson backed the Isle of Wight Council Leader’s call for an urgent ministerial meeting, warning that the proposed cuts would come at a time when funding disparities between urban and rural councils are widening.
Urban councils are projected to receive 41 per cent more in government-funded spending power per head than rural councils.
Government used different criteria
The local MP questioned the Government’s use of evidence to justify the funding decision. Ministers have said they would rely on analysis from the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) to deliver their policy missions on growth and opportunity.
ICON’s own research found Isle of Wight East to be the second most ‘left behind’ constituency in the country, but the Government used different criteria which the MP has asked to be published.
Robertson: Ministers appear to have set aside ICON’s data
Mr Robertson urged Ministers to reconsider the data underpinning the funding settlement before final decisions are taken, including whether sufficient account has been taken of ferry dependency and Island-specific costs.
Mr Robertson said,
“Despite this independent evidence being available to the Government, Ministers appear to have set aside ICON’s data in favour of alternative datasets that favour urban areas. I have met with ICON directly, and their work only reinforces the scale of the challenge we face on the Island.
“We finally have the data we need, but the Government is refusing to use it when deciding Council allocations. This is not about asking for special treatment, it is about fair treatment.
“If the Government is serious about spreading opportunity and supporting left behind communities, it cannot ignore the realities of Island life.”
News shared by the office of Joe Robertson, in their own words. Ed
