We always welcome a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below. This from Diana Conyers, Ryde. Ed
It appears that discussions on a Devolution Deal are now in a state of confusion.
No one seems to know whether the Deal would cover the whole of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight or just the Solent region, what powers would be devolved, or whether there would have to be an elected mayor. In fact, it is quite possible that there will be no Deal at all.
An answer to the financial crisis?
So what happens now? For the Isle of Wight Council, the Devolution Deal was seen primarily as a means of solving its financial crisis.
The idea was that, within the area covered by the Deal, business rates would replace government grants and these would be redistributed between the constituent councils in a way that ensured that no area would be worse off than it is at present.
However, this component of the Deal is also now in jeopardy because, following the government’s recent announcement that small businesses will be exempt from paying rates, revenue from business rates could be much less than anticipated.
So the real question is: If ‘plan A’ has failed, how are we going to resolve the Council’s financial crisis?
Fighting for ‘special’ status
The immediate response has been to protest against the cuts and ask the government for more money. This course of action is being pursued not only by the Council, but also by Unite the Isle of Wight, a local anti-austerity pressure group, and Fight for the Isle of Wight, a recently-established, broader-based group led by the County Press.
The main argument being used is that the Isle of Wight needs special financial assistance because, due in large part to its island status, it has high levels of poverty and deprivation.
Such protests are needed and merit our support. But maybe there is a third option – a ‘Plan C’.
How about Plan C?
Our island status has advantages as well as disadvantages. Our geographical and cultural identity makes us an ideal case for devolution in our own right.
Why can’t we have our own devolution deal, similar to that of Cornwall? We are already a unitary authority and we have already gone a long way in coordinating and integrating services within the Island.
The My Life a Full Life programme, which will integrate health, social services and voluntary sector activities, has received special government funding on the grounds that it could become a model for the country as a whole.
Why can’t we extend this into a plan to establish a model, community-based local authority and apply for extra funding to help us implement it?
Image: plan_c_innovatienetwerk under CC BY 2.0
