Q: What does the council spend its money on each year?
Every council has a range of services which it must provide otherwise known as statutory services. These include services such as adult and childrens social care, land charges, registry of births, deaths and marriages. The council also has the discretion to provide other services which are important to the local community such as sports and leisure, parks and countryside and on the island, the Cowes floating bridge service.

In many cases, the way in which the services are provided (by the council or by private companies contracted by the council) and the level at which they are provided, can be decided locally based on local needs and available resources. This is the balance that every council has to find in setting its budget.

 

Q: How can I have my say on what the council spends?

Despite the fact the Council is obliged to provide a considerable number of services as a result of legislation, we are fully committed to consulting the local community about the Council’s budget to ensure that community views on provision of services have been taken into account. For each budget a combination of measures are used to identify priorities for the forthcoming year:-

•         consultations on individual service areas may take place separately to the overall budget consultation but will be considered as part of the decision making

•         an on-line budget simulator is used to gain more detailed feedback on priorities

•         a universal workshop is held with a range of stakeholder groups.

The feedback gathered from these exercises and other sources informs the final decisions around the future years budget and levels of service provision.

Q: Where does the money come from?
The main sources of funding for the Council’s revenue budget are

  • Grant received from Central Government,
  • Council Tax
  • Core grants for specific services and projects
  • Dedicated schools grant
  • Income from fees and charges

Although the contribution made by each source varies slightly each year, council tax funds approximately 21% of the council budget, with the remainder of the funding from grants and income from fees and charges.

Q: What is Council Tax, who pays it and what is the charge based on?

Council Tax is a local charge levied on residential properties in the local area, and forms part of the funding for services provided by the Local Authority. Each property is included within one of eight valuation bands (A to H); the amount of Council Tax is based on the value of the property at April 1991.

 

The charge is based on elements set by the Isle of Wight Council, the Hampshire Police Authority and your local town or parish council. Your council tax bill is the combined charge from all 3 elements.

Q: How do I pay my Council Tax?
You will receive a Council Tax bill in March each year which will detail the payments required from April to January. All payments should be made direct to the Isle of Wight Council. You can pay in cash, by cheque, by direct debit, via internet (www.iwight.com), or by using our automated telephone system (+44 [0]1983 559310). You can also pay in one amount or by instalments. Please contact the Council Tax Section for further information.


Q: How can I see what the money was actually spent on?

The council publishes information on spend in a number of ways:

  • All transactions over £500 are published separately as part of the ‘Spotlight on spend’ initiative on iwight.com.
  • The council publishes a full statement of accounts each year by 30th September.

The council produces an annual report which summaries the councils statement of accounts and links it to performance data.







Page last updated on: 06/11/2008