Isle of Wight Council disappointed at £1m spending boost

Government funding of £1m announced for the Isle of Wight will make "no difference", its council has said.

The spending boost, announced on Monday, is a share of £54.1bn being given to councils by the department for levelling up, housing and communities.

Isle of Wight Council had expected the support to be about £6m to make up for the extra costs of being an island.

The authority said such a small amount towards maintaining and improving council services was "illogical".

Announcing the spending boost, the department for levelling up, housing and communities said: "In recognition of the unique circumstances facing the Isle of Wight Council and its physical separation from the mainland, we are providing an additional £1m for 2022/23."

At the council's corporate scrutiny committee, Councillor Jonathan Bacon, cabinet member for environment and heritage, called it "empty words from government" and claimed it made no difference to the underlying problem.

He said increasing costs were being acknowledged for councils across the country and the island's remoteness was not being recognised, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

For decades, the island's authority has been chasing a deal from government to make up for the added extra costs and pressures created by its separation from the mainland.

Councillor Chris Jarman, cabinet member for strategic finances, said such a small amount was "illogical", because the authority had provided "copious amounts of rational evidence to secure the future of the island, but [was] being repeatedly ignored".

Chief financial officer, Chris Ward, said the council was chasing a rainbow when it comes to an Island Deal. He sees the £1m as a stopgap,  allowing the Isle of Wight to continue its conversation with government.

Mr Ward said the government's fair funding review would be more helpful, although it has been delayed.

"Levelling-up" is the government's aim to make life more equal in the UK, meaning there will be less of a difference between rich and poorer areas.

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