Merging the Isle of Wight Council with the mainland IS ON THE TABLE and our local elections in May have been cancelled to allow negotiations to take place.
We are in a dangerous position, and Island residents are being denied a say. The Isle of Wight Council Leader has assured us repeatedly that we are only part of mayoral discussions but this is not correct.
I asked the Deputy Prime Minister directly and she confirmed: 'Nothing is off the table, including the reorganisation of IWC itself'.
The Deputy Prime Minister also said this: "We are not in the business of holding elections to bodies that will not exist, and where we do not know what will replace them. This would be an expensive and irresponsible waste of taxpayers’ money, and any party calling for those elections to go ahead must explain how this waste would be justifiable. To that end, I have agreed to postpone local elections in East Sussex and West Sussex, in Essex and Thurrock, in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and in Norfolk and Suffolk."
Please join my campaign to save the Isle of Wight Council and stop a Hampshire-based Mayor from being imposed on us. Details to follow, but please start by completing my survey at www.combinedmayor.co.uk
