VentnorBlog understand that ex-Cabinet Member for Resources, Peter Bingham, will not be directly replaced in the Isle of Wight council Cabinet.
Last week the official reason given for the surprise departure of Cllr Bingham from the Cabinet was “due to health reasons.”
He was quoted in the County Press as saying, “There has been no dispute with the leader, Cllr David Pugh, or a fall out. This is not a coup, it is on doctor’s advice. I very much regret it as there is a lot of work to be done at the moment.”
Many felt this was a strange choice of words, especially since some had him pegged as a potential Leader of the council, if David Pugh was to vacate the role.
Keeping an eye on the finances
Resources is another way of saying people and money. The people who work for the council and the overseeing the way the money is spent.
Peter Bingham was generally seen as the councillor best-qualified to keep an eye on the finances of the council, both as him being Cabinet Member for Resources and his strong financial background.
In email communications that VentnorBlog has seen, the Leader of the Island Conservative, Cllr David Pugh, has declared that, “his (Cllr Bingham’s) responsibilities are due to be redistributed amongst the remaining seven Cabinet members.”
“An important portfolio”
VB spoke to Geoff Lumley, councillor for Newport East about it, “I would have thought that’s about the most important portfolio a member can have. I was very surprised that he (Cllr Pugh) didn’t intend to have a resources portfolio holder … unless Cllr Pugh intends to take the role on as well as his schools reorganisation role.”
Raises questions
It does beg the question, that in a time of belt-tightening, is it wise for the Cabinet to be without a single member dedicated to keeping an eye on where the council money is being spent?
We’ve posed this question to David Pugh and will publish his views on it when we hear back.
UPDATE 5.Aug.10 Thanks to David Pugh for sending the below through to us yesterday afternoon …
At a time of belt-tightening, the responsibility for how council resources are being used becomes even more of a corporate priority. All Cabinet Members are contributing and will continue to contribute to our efforts to make best use of the IW Council’s limited resources. The recent paper to Cabinet and Full Council set out a range of potential areas for savings which fall across all existing Cabinet responsibilities.
In terms of direct Cabinet Member responsibility for the different service areas within the Resources Directorate, this is likely to involve up to four existing Cabinet Members. This is no more than the arrangements that were in place prior to Cllr Bingham’s resignation – which as the chart shows (below) – saw four Cabinet Members overseeing the work of this directorate.
A delegated decision report setting out these proposed changes will be published in the near future, based on the continuation of the remaining seven Cabinet Members, with revised responsibilities.
By not filling the Cabinet vacancy created by Cllr Bingham’s departure, we will return to the same size of Cabinet that existed prior to May 2010. I hope that this is welcomed as a further sign of reducing the costs of local governance, due to the cost of one Cabinet Member special responsibility allowance being saved.
The Isle of Wight Council, despite its wide range of responsibilities, continues to have a smaller Cabinet than many other local authorities.
Click on the thumbnails to see organisation charts.
Image: Visual Panic under CC BY 2.0
