The Isle of Wight Council set its budget, following a meeting of the Full Council last night (Wednesday). Measures agreed in the council’s budget and plans, included the following:
• £40,000 of economic development funding will be put into grants to support Island based businesses starting up, and to provide specific grant funding for firms taking on apprentices.
• Transfer where possible the freehold of all public conveniences to town and parish councils – or close and dispose, assuming no expenditure from 2017/18 onwards. Indications are positive that this will be undertaken, from all except one council, to date.
• Find capital finance savings on the waste contract, and general contract savings within the Highways PFI and other contracts
• Rationalise the council’s property portfolio and relocate staff as required.
• Restructure the whole operating model of the council starting with reductions in staffing levels within back office functions, including revenues, benefits and contact centre teams
An increase to the Isle of Wight Council’s element of the annual council tax bills, of 3.99 per cent, was also agreed. This excludes the precepts for town and parish councils and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire. This is the maximum amount that the council is permitted to raise its council tax element by without holding a referendum. Usually, the maximum rise is set at 1.99 per cent, however, this year the government announced that councils could increase council tax by an additional 2 per cent to fund adult social care budgets. This will raise an additional £1.3 million for the Isle of Wight Council, however, the increased costs to the council for the same period are considerably in excess of this.
Leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Councillor Jonathan Bacon, said: “This is the most difficult budget this Council has had to address and deal with for many years, certainly for longer than I have been in the Chamber.
“Following the announcement of the draft local government financial settlement in December, extensive representations and lobbying have taken place, and an extremely strong case has been put forward for additional resources. It is, therefore, bitterly disappointing that in the final settlement announced only two weeks ago the Island was offered not a penny more.
“The budget set was agreed on the basis that it is constructed to do the best possible in the circumstances, to save what we can while making the books balance, but also to provide us with time and sufficient security to enter into a process which, in a nutshell will decide whether this council stands or falls. We have considered the options very carefully to maintain what we can and minimise the pain to Island residents, while considering the impact on future of where we live.
“This year has proved really challenging and on the experience of this budget I would reiterate my belief that without significant government intervention it will be impossible for the council to set a budget in 2017 and to exist after that date.”
Full details of the budget and council tax proposals, which were adopted by Full Council, can be found atwww.iwight.com/meetings.
