At Wednesday’s full council meeting, members approved proposals to start charging foot passengers 40p return to use the Floating Bridge at Cowes.
Put your people before politics, urges resident
East Cowes resident, Sarah Dover, kicked off the meeting urging the council to reconsider the proposal. She argued the projected income from charges would not be forthcoming and asked the two Isle of Wight councillors representing East Cowes and Osborne & Whippingham to stand up for their residents and vote against the whole budget if the item was not removed.
She urged them to put their people before politics.
Plan to gain income from advertising
Cllr Baker Smith, the councillor for Osborne & Whippingham, presented her proposed amendment to the budget.
She said,
“I’ve been speaking with advertising agencies and have projected that advertising on the floating bridge and the adjacent waiting areas could achieve in the region of £100,000 per annum revenue.
“I do not believe that pedestrian charging will bring in the projected revenue. I do believe that charging could be damaging to the Cowes and East Cowes economies.
“I’m very interested by Cllr Lumley’s amendment D and will be voting in favour of that.
“However if that falls this evening then this amendment will be absolutely crucial to the people of East Cowes and West Cowes.
“This gives us the opportunity to look at a real alternative means of raising the funding that is needed in this very tight budget. This gives us a real alternative to prevent the charges on the floating bridge going forward in the future and I hope that colleagues will support me in here tonight to undertake procurement exercise to secure advertising revenue and this to be taken account of as part of a review of charges six months after implementation.
“If at such time projected advertising revenue exceeds charging revenue, then provision of charging should be reconsidered by full council, with a view to being used to offset debt, a reduction in charging or I hope, a total cessation of charging.”
The vote
Cllr Lumley’s (Lab) amendment to scrap the proposed charging of pedestrians and cyclists failed to gain enough votes from members (although Cllrs Hillard and Baker-Smith did vote in favour of it), but Cllr Baker-Smith’s motion, as detailed above, was carried with 33 voting in favour, three against and one abstention.
Both Cllrs Hillard and Baker-Smith then went on to vote in favour of the main budget, which included the proposal to charge foot passengers on the floating bridge.
Free for 18s and under
Despite Cllr Bacon’s reference to travel being free for “those under the age of 18”, the Isle of Wight council have confirmed this morning the floating bridge “will be free for 18s and under”.
It will also be free for those with concessionary bus passes.
Article edit 10.13
Amended paragraph relating to GL’s amendment and removed reference to DMO funding and added reference to LH and JBS voting in favour of GL’s amendment.
Image: Tax Brackets under CC BY 2.0
