Wednesday’s vote at the Isle of Wight full council on the subject of Solent Devolution was not about “Shall we go ahead with the deal?”, but rather “Shall we stay at the table to find out what the deal actually is?”
However, the impression I was left with from questions being asked by some Members during the debate, was that they misunderstood what was being voted on – a point that exasperated even the press table who to me appeared to have read more of the paperwork than some of the councillors.
The motion was lost by one vote, 17 to 16, with two abstaining (read our live coverage) meaning that full council made the decision it didn’t even want to hear what will be on the table for the Solent Devolution Deal.
Seeking clarity from DCLG
Following Wednesday’s meeting, OnTheWight got in touch with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
We asked whether the current Solent deal (Isle of Wight, Southampton, Portsmouth) could go ahead without the Island; whether a deal between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight would be considered; and whether, if the Island chose to reject all devolution offers, the IW were likely to get any additional financial settlement?
The DCLG response was brief … and non-specific. They told OnTheWight,
“The Government remains committed to devolving powers from Whitehall to the Solent.
“However, we’ve been clear it is for the local area to bring forward strong proposals that are supported locally.”
Is there a deal with Hampshire to be had?
During Wednesday’s meeting, Conservative councillors argued that the Island should wait to see what kind of deal can be struck with Hampshire County Council – who earlier this year pulled out of the original Southern Powerhouse talks.
The leader of the Isle of Wight council, Jonathan Bacon, says there is currently no deal with Hampshire nor is there one on the horizon.
Decision rests with the Executive
Members of the Executive will vote on Monday afternoon on whether to go ahead with the motion to express an interest in finding out more – with the possibility of overriding the vote that occurred this week.
OnTheWight has been told that the Minister made clear at a meeting with the council last week that the decision to just learn what the offer is, is non-binding and would not tie IWC into any future Devolution deal.
Update: Further clarification
As has been pointed out in the comments section by Cllr Luisa Hillard following publication of this article, the vote by the Full Council was a recommendation to the Executive.
Therefore there is nothing to ‘overrule’, but simply something to take into consideration.
Ministerial powers
Whether the Executive overrule this or not could become academic.
It’s worth bearing in mind that the Minister has the over-arching power to force the Island into the devolution deal if he so wishes.
Set an alarm
OnTheWight will be reporting live from the Executive meeting which starts at 5pm on Monday 24th October – set an alarm, it could be interesting.
Article edit
Clarification on taking the recommendation into consideration
Image: insightsunspoken under CC BY 2.0
