This in from Cllr Geoff Lumley. Ed
The IW Council Labour Group has submitted a short amendment to the Council Executive’s Budget recommendations.
Labour’s Cllr Geoff Lumley said,
“Provided a satisfactory business case is provided for some of the more challenging savings measures is provided, Labour will offer support to the Executive’s substantive proposals, given the dreadful position local councils are in under the current Government’s approach to local government.
“However, our amendment seeks to protect some very immediate services for local people for at least the next year.”
End investment this year
Rather than end support for Visit Isle of Wight, the destination management organisation, from April next year (as proposed by the Executive) Labour councillors propose curtailment from this April.
This will provide an annual saving of £330k, which they propose to use for:
- Continuing Support for Community Bus Services – cost £50k
- Retaining Subsidised Bus Services – cost £137.5k
- Keeping the Cowes Floating Bridge free for pedestrians – Cost £100k
- Retaining energy efficiency management within the Council – cost £30k for financial year 2015/16.
Cllr Lumley said,
“At a time when travel services are under threat such as these, we do not think the Council Tax payer wants the Council to be spending a third of a £million subsidising the promotion of private enterprise.”
Labour also proposes establishing an investment panel to democratically monitor how capital receipts like the impending £20m from Asda are managed on behalf of Island residents.
Labour’s Cllr Alan Hollands said,
“Last month we called for more imaginative use of the anticipated Asda receipt than sticking it in a bank to get 1%. We were opposed on that by the Island Independents and most Tories; the Con-dependents as we call them.
“Now the leadership have come up with some better investment figures. However, we would still like to see more democratic control and more imagination.”
Article edit: replaced subsidy for investment in headline and sub-head
Image: Images of Money under CC BY 2.0
