Council leader refuses to step down over High Court ruling

THE leader of the Isle of Wight Council has rejected calls for him to stand down after the authority’s social care cuts were branded unlawful.

Following the High Court ruling last week, which has forced the council into a U-turn over its adult social care policy, campaign group the Isle of Wight Stop the Cuts Alliance has called on top members and officers to consider their position.

A spokesman said: “The council’s head of legal services, Davina Fiore, costs us some £106,000 a year. With the council’s claim to be always seeking value for money, we would ask County Hall to seriously consider if Ms Fiore is worth all that cash after this legal debacle. The cabinet member responsible, Cllr Roger Mazillius, should also consider his position.

“Court costs in this kind of case can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Just how many Island libraries, loos and tourist information centres could have been saved if the council had listened to us and done the job it is supposed to do by providing proper services to the community, especially to the most vulnerable, rather than cutting them in the cavalier manner highlighted now by the High Court?”

But council leader Cllr David Pugh — who apologised for failing to consult properly on the cuts — accused the campaign group of using the High Court ruling to stir up anti-council sentiment.

“This is a complex judgement on a complex matter. It is to be expected long-term critics of the council will use this as a platform to seek to achieve change at County Hall. However, such a stance does nothing to address the continuing financial and demographic challenges facing the local authority,” he said.

“The judgement notes the detailed steps that were taken in preparation for the policy and budget decisions for these changes. It also acknowledges the council unintentionally breached the guidance by adopting an over-elaborate set of additional criteria. We are sorry this happened, as we genuinely sought to undertake a thorough and proper process of consultation.

“This additional criteria was designed to mitigate the impact of the changes on clients with substantial needs and we remain of the view this was a reasonable step to take, with the aim being to ensure these clients continued to receive a sufficient level of support. However, we recognise this process did not find favour with the judge and we will be considering what steps should now be taken.

“As Cllr David Rogers, from the Local Government Association, has stated, this outcome reinforces what we already know, that there isn’t enough money in the system and it needs urgent reform. We need to think about how we reach the best long-term solution for the Island’s social care needs — and this can be best achieved through calm dialogue not headline-grabbing soundbites like this.

“If the Stop the Cuts Alliance have some constructive observations on the way forward, we would welcome them.”
The Isle of Wight Stop the Cuts Alliance hit back today (Tuesday), pointing out an offer to meet Cllr Pugh to discuss alternative solutions to budget cuts was snubbed just a few weeks ago.

A spokesman said: “We are not surprised by this new twist, it clearly shows the council leader is rattled by recent events. Does he want our help or doesn’t he? Perhaps if the council had listened to us from the outset — almost a year ago now — we may have been able to prevent them from breaking the law and becoming a laughing stock within the national press.”