Isle of Wight Council Budget

The IW Council decided last week to press ahead with its unprecedented cuts to public services - despite protests and opposition from many people on the of Isle of Wight. At the Council Meeting on the 24th February 2011 the Conservative Council's budget was passed with only 19 councillors voting for it, less than half the Council. Even some Conservatives refused to back their leaders budget. 5 out of the 24 either abstained or did not vote.

For the record these, the Councillors who voted to close libraries, tourist information centres, and public toilets, and who voted to cut adult social services, care for the elderly and many the of other services on which the less well off depend, are as follows:

The 19 who voted for the cuts were (all Conservatives):

Barry Abraham              Wootton Bridge
George Brown              Cowes North
George Cameron             Freshwater South
Dawn Cousins                 Newport North
Roger Dixcey                  Newport South
Edward Giles                   Whippingham and Osborne
John Hobart              Carisbrooke
Richard Hollis                  Parkhurst
Tim Hunter-Henderson     Lake South
Julie Jones-Evans            Newport Central
Roger Mazillius                Cowes South and Northwood
David Pugh           Shanklin South
Susan Scoccia                 Ventnor West
Andy Sutton                  Freshwater North
Arthur Taylor                   Ryde North West
Gary Taylor                     Ryde South
Ian Ward                        Sandown South
Margaret Webster            East Cowes
David G. Willaims             Shanklin Central

Two Conservatives abstained:

Lora Peacey-Wilcox Cowes Medina
Jerry White Lake North

And three Conservatives did not vote (why?):

Peter Bingham              Central Wight
Ivan Bulwer                   Binstead and Fishbourne
David Stewart                Chale, Niton and Whitwell

There were also four Independants who did not vote:

Jonathan Bacon             Brading, St Helens and Bembridge
Stuart Dyer                   West Wight
Chris Welsford              Ventnor East
David Whittaker             Newport West