Back in 2006 the then Isle of Wight Council announced its intention to levy the equivalent of a ‘parish precept’ on those areas of the Island that weren’t emparished, including Newport and Carisbrooke.
They argued this was only fair as existing town and parish councils elsewhere on the Island paid for local services that the IW Council was paying for in unemparished areas.
Legal emparishment sought
Reluctantly accepting the rationale of this argument the then IW Councillors for Newport & Carisbrooke (current IW Cllr Geoff Brodie – formerly Lumley – being the only one left) decided to seek legal emparishment, though the then IW Councillor for Carisbrooke ward preferred a separate parish council.
The Newport ward councillors gathered the petition signatures required (7.5% of the electorate – nearly 2,000) across Newport & Carisbrooke, which was then endorsed by the IW Council and submitted to government for approval.
From 2006-2008 a Newport Town Management Committee was established to prepare for approval, Chaired by Cllr Brodie and consisting of the other Newport IW Cllrs and a number of co-opted community figures including Shirley Smart and Tony Coburn.
Parish Council formed in May 2008
Government approved the request and Newport Parish Council was established (including Carisbrooke, whose separate petition was rejected by government) with elections to 16 councillor places (two for each of the eight wards) in May 2008. Of the first 16, Cllrs Brodie, Coburn, Smart, Mary Craven and Julie Jones-Evans continue to this day, with Cllr Brodie elected as the Parish Chair for its first two years.
An office was rented at the Riverside Centre on Newport Quay, where we remain.
Newport and Carisbrooke Prish Council
At its first meeting, the parish council, in recognition of the inclusion of Carisbrooke within its boundaries – a geographically large, rural ward – resolved not to become a town council with a Mayor.
That has remained the case until now and the plan to seek to change the council’s name to Newport & Carisbrooke Parish Council at its tenth anniversary underscores Carisbrooke’s identity, although located cheek by jowl with Newport.
Parish council elections
The second elections took place after two years in 2010 when the number of wards was reduced to seven with two councillors in each, after a Boundary Review.
This council was in place for three years and then from 2013 elections were to be every four years, in line with the IW Council.
Chairs of the parish council
From 2010 the Parish Chair has been held by Cllrs Peter Whiteman (2010-12), Mary Craven (2012-14), Cllr Julie Jones-Evans (2014-16), Lois Prior (2016-17, now retired) and Geoff Brodie again from 2017.
Precept funding
In the first years of Newport Parish Council the household precept was kept at a very low level. Its first budget was £110k (14p per week per Band D household), compared to the budget agreed for this year of £370k (47p per week).
Its first budget paid for a Clerk (a legal requirement) and our first one Maxine Yule was with us for the next nearly 10 years, followed this year by Danny Faulkner.
Also it funded Christmas lighting and trees, town planters and summer flowers, new dog bins, small projects around the parish, and donations to events of community benefit.
Rising from 16p to 47p per week
The precept was still only 16p per week by 2014. However, from 2014-19 the precept has increased to 47p per week – though remaining one of the lowest on the Island – as the parish council decided it needed to take on services that the IW Council wanted to terminate or devolve to local councils due to severe grant funding cuts by central government.
For example allotments, public toilets, recreation grounds, children’s play areas, Victoria Rec pavilion, school crossing patrols, an Environment Officer for the parish, support for countryside areas, and support for under threat youth services. We also added our highly popular November Fireworks event.
Notable parish-funded improvements
Over the past ten years notable parish-funded improvements have been the Medina riverbank opposite Cineworld, the Church Litten youth shelters, adult outdoor fitness equipment at Seaclose Park, and our Great War centenary commemorative works (see aforementioned Medina riverbank).
For the future the parish council is looking to engage fully in regeneration of the County town and quayside, particularly through the ‘Shaping Newport’ project. Finally thanks to all the current councillors mentioned above – and Joanne Ballington, Jaimie Bundell, Andrew Garratt, Steve Hastings, John Hobart, Richard Hollis, Terry Martin & Matt Price.
And to those who no longer serve – Debbie Dixcey, Roger Dixcey, Jane Perry, Lois Prior, Debbie Ridett, Steve Falla, Terry Goldstone, John Ward, Andy Flambard, Barbara Foster, Jackie Hawkins, Alexandra Goldstone, Peter Humber, Clive Page, Melanie Swan, Hugh Ross, David Ball, Helen Downer and Stephanie Wilmott.
Report by Laura Jones on behalf of the Newport Parish Council. Ed
Image: © With kind permission of Ian Johnston LRPS
