The Ministry of Justice will hand £6.3million to the Isle of Wight Council, to manage roads on the prison estates in Newport - but how is that news being received?

A deal was announced as a 'major win' by the Isle of Wight Conservatives earlier this month (as reported by the County Press), but the actual amount of cash that will now change hands has only just been revealed.

An agreement in principle was signed off, at a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council, in March.

The deal - without a final figure attached - was announced on April 1.

Negotiations had been taking place over the size of a one-off payment to the Isle of Wight Council, aimed at restoring and maintaining the road network around HMP Isle of Wight - streets which are not part of the PFI deal with Island Roads.

How was orignal announcement recieved?

When the figure-free announcement was made on April 1, opposition parties questioned the lack of financial detail.

Our Island's Jonathan Bacon said there was "too little information available to make a proper judgment", Green candidate for Carisbrooke and Gunville Joe Lever said that calling it a 'major win' showed a 'lack of ambition' and Island Labour's Richard Quigley accused the Conservative of being 'big on fanfare and small on detail'.

The Isle of Wight County Press was among those calling for more information.

What about now?

As Conservative leader councillor Dave Stewart confirms the deal is worth £6.3million,  here's what other political parties have to say...

Isle of Wight County Press:

Richard Quigley, Island Labour: "As an Island resident, I welcome any inward investment. It is a welcome announcement to residents on the prison estate.

"I do question why Councillor Stewart thinks he has achieved something remarkable though.

"The Ministry of Justice has "offered" the £6.3m. How much will the work actually cost?

"My concern is that the total bill will exceed that amount.

"In a rush to give good news before the local elections, they could be saddling the Island with more problems. I think we deserve to see what the full cost of the work will be."

Conservative MP Bob Seely:

Isle of Wight County Press:

The Vectis Party: "If £6.3 million was sufficient to bring the prison estate roads up to standard the Ministry of Justice would have already done it.  

"Instead the amount is a drop in the ocean, compared to what is needed making this an unfunded liability going forward. 

"This will put incredible strain on the existing highways budget, at a time when places such as New Road in Wootton Bridge are crying out for maintenance. 

"This Council has failed to maintain the roads they are already responsible for, why take on more? 

"The handover of prison estate roads should be shelved, until a better settlement from the Ministry of Justice can be negotiated."

Isle of Wight County Press:

Andrew Garratt, Liberal Democrat and current councillor for Parkhurst: "Since I was elected in 2017, I’ve worked with residents to lobby the Ministry of Justice, including meeting with an MOJ civil servant in mid-2019 and getting agreement from them to review their legal responsibilities.

"We made some progress with the MOJ, getting several streetlights repaired or replaced during 2020. The agreement between the council and the MOJ has been very welcome.

"Having the full amount revealed is useful. The amount of money reflects the many years of deterioration that will need to be tackled.

"Residents are keen to know exactly which roads and areas will see improvements. In my discussions with officers, I have pressed that point. I have also stressed the importance of residents being involved throughout the programme of improvements as that will be crucial to ensuring the £6.3 million is spent effectively.

"As the council has said, it could take two years to carry out the work. However, I am particularly hopeful that work to repair and replace the remainder of the streetlights will be an early priority – some roads have no working streetlights at all. One was in such a poor state that it broke in half in a storm last year."

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