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 OnTheWight reader, Neil Blues. Ed
It’s unbelievable that the Isle of Wight council and its associated politicians haven’t learnt anything in the past 33 years or so that I’ve been resident on the Island.
They need to look back at their horrendous history of non-service (major failures) to the residents and businesses here.
Some of (in my view) IWC failures
The decision in the 1980s not to purchase the part of Sealink (now Wightlink) that served the Island. They could have purchased it for £12 Million, that’s £37 Million in today’s money. Now we see the current owners of Wightlink have placed it on the market and are seeking £300 Million for it.
- The Undercliff Drive fiasco
- the K2 Bridge (Medham to Whippingham) where I understand the Council sent the bid paperwork to the EU five days too late
- the Ryde Transportation Interchange Consultation
- the Ventnor Botanic Garden
- the Ventnor Winter Gardens
- Ventnor Harbour
- the Cowes Enterprise College lack of onsite project management
- the Cowes floating bridge (words fail me)
- St Mary’s Roundabout and the proposed Regeneration Strategy that does not address the Elephant in the room, namely the horrendous cost of transportation of materials, goods and people across the Solent.
No cost audit offer rejected
As a retired engineer and Quality Assurance Manager, I offered to carry out a no cost audit of the IWC procurement process as I sincerely believe that significant cost savings can be made for the benefit of the citizens of the Island. The response I received was, “It would not be appropriate”.
It begs the question, why doesn’t the IWC take advantage of the skills and knowledge that many of us learnt the hard way in the private sector?
Open Challenge: Engage with Isle of Wight citizens
So here is an open challenge to the IWC and its politicians, forget your party dogma and engage with the citizens of the Isle of Wight, make use of the skills and knowledge that are available.
