THE Isle of Wight Council is calling on the new Labour government to increase its funding by £6 million this year.

Council leader, Cllr Phil Jordan, wrote to Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, urging her to address the "specific funding challenges" the council has faced over the past four years.

The council says the Island's unique geographical position results in "significantly higher costs" for delivering services, which it says have been consistently evidenced through numerous studies and academic research.

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It has estimated that the "substantial additional costs" of providing services on the Island — adult social care, children's services and highways maintenance — amounts to around £23.7 million higher than other similar councils.

The government has only provided an additional £4 million to cover these costs, but there is no certainty of this continuing in the future, Cllr Jordan stressed in his two-page letter.

"It is both unsustainable and inequitable for the Isle of Wight Council to be disadvantaged by the current local government funding system," continued Cllr Jordan.

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"Current funding is insufficient to cover these unique and unavoidable costs, placing an enormous, unfair burden on Isle of Wight residents. 

"A more equitable distribution of existing funding, could significantly improve service delivery for our residents, without adversely impacting other local authorities."

The council is now asking for the previous £4 million to be increased by an additional £6 million, to bump up this year's settlement to £10 million.

The council has been gathering evidence on the additional costs of providing services on the Island.

Adult social care faces 13 per cent higher unit costs, equating to £12.2 million annually, compared to other councils, due to factors such as higher transport costs and a lack of labour market mobility.

Children's services are facing costs 29 per cent higher, amounting to an additional £7.3 million annually.

Highways maintenance costs are 70 per cent higher — £4.2 million annually — partly due to addressing historic under-investment and the need for significant PFI credit funding.

Other services, including street cleansing, homelessness, regulatory services and emergency planning, face 98 per cent higher unit costs, also equating to an additional £4.2 million each year.

Cllr Jordan says the authority wants the government to fully recognise these additional costs, in its future commitment to a multi-year settlement for local authorities.