The Isle of Wight Council meets this evening (Wednesday) to set its budget for 2021/2022.

An overall council tax rise of 4.99 per cent is on the cards, if other alternative proposals are not supported.

Under the Conservative plans, cuts will be made to some services, while elsewhere some service charges will rise.

It has been described as the 'toughest budget yet'.

The party hold the majority share of the votes on the Council, but others have put forward alternative suggestions.

Scroll down to read them....

On top of any council tax increase agreed tonight, we will also be paying precepts for Hampshire Constabulary and the Fire and Rescue Service, both of which are due to rise.

Conservative plan

If passed by the Full Isle of Wight Council...

  • Mobile library service will be cut
  • Crematorium fees will rise seven per cent
  • £300,000 will be spent on two sets of average speed cameras.
  • £4.5 million savings
  • Three per cent rise to fund adult social care
  • Spending coastal defences, schools, Branstone Farm development, disabled facilities, highways, IT infrastructure
  • Ability to make compulsory purchase orders
  • Band C properties will face an extra charge of around £1.35 per week

Read the Conservative budget proposal in full HERE

What are the alternatives?

Isle of Wight County Press:

Indepedent Cllr Geoff Brodie's plan...

  • £980,186 proposed reduction to the council's contribution to the 'transformation reserve' ('spend to save' schemes)
  • Saving £1.8m by postpone the coastal protection scheme for the Cowes and Gurnard seawall
  • Reduce the increase in crematorium and cemetery fees to two per cent
  • Retain £31,000 support for local councils
  • Stop cuts to opening hours at Newport's Lord Louis Library
  • Savings programme over the next three budgets, to achieve £11.8m

Island Independent Group (IIG) plan...

  • £300,000 sustainable transport fund
  • £20,000 citizens' engagement fund
  • £225,000 empty property regeneration fund which would provide interest-free bounce back loans
  • £35,000 worth of support for local town, parish and community councils
  • Scrap the £300,000 investment for average speed cameras
  • Scrap £30,000 proposed for video conferencing facilities
  • £150,000 reduction in vehicle replacement programme funding
  • £100,000 reduction in ICT equipment replacement

Isle of Wight County Press:

Liberal Democrat plan...

  • No £300,000 investment in speed cameras
  • £600,000 reduction in the transformation reserve contributions
  • Free 30-minute parking in Newport
  • £275,000 climate emergency initiative fund
  • £100,000 enterprise fund for businesses
  • £100,000 community public realm fund for projects working together with local councils
  • Two per cent cap on increase in crematorium and cemetery charges
  • £25,000 community resilience transformation fund

Our Island plan...

Formed in the last six months, Our Island said it would have proposed the following (if it had councillors at County Hall):

  • Cancelling mainland investments in commercial property
  • Pursue compulsory purchase orders on empty and derelict property
  • Scrap £300,000 plan to buy new speed cameras
  • Buy three new Dotto Trains
  • Restructure of the Isle of Wight Council, let Town and Parish Councils take on and operate the local services

Isle of Wight County Press:

Dotto train (via Wayne Whittle on Twitter)

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