Decision on Isle of Wight Council’s governance set for May 1

The Isle of Wight Council has made further progress on potentially changing the way it is governed, as the possible move from a leader and cabinet model to a committee system moves one step closer.

Yesterday members voted to hold an extraordinary meeting on May 1 where they will consider a detailed report on the proposals and decide whether they want to make the changes or retain the current governance arrangements.

Should the council vote to move to a committee system, it will then make a decision on when to implement the changes, with the options ranging from the annual council meeting on May 15 this year, to after the next Isle of Wight Council elections in May 2025. Once councillors pass a formal resolution adopting any new system, any decision cannot be revisited for five years.

Councillors also voted to note a report that will consider how the committee system will be structured, with a suggestion that there would be a policy, finance and resources committee, and four service committees covering:

•             children’s services;

•             adult social care, public health, and housing;

•             economy, regeneration, transport, and infrastructure;

•             environment and community protection.

Other committees that currently operate, such as planning and licensing, would remain unchanged.

The council has now launched a dedicated web page based on the discussions so far and residents can make their views known on the proposals by emailing future.governance@iow.gov.uk or by writing to ‘Future Governance’, Isle of Wight Council, County Hall, High Street, Newport PO30 1UD.