Major Political Row Erupts Days Before Isle Of Wight By-Elections

A major political row has erupted over County Hall’s troubled relationship with its Highways PFI contractor Island Roads.

In his monthly column in the Isle of Wight County Press two weeks ago, council leader Phil Jordan said the authority was ‘once again heading into a legal dispute of a contractual nature’ with Island Roads.

But in a scathing open letter in response last week, head of the Conservative group Cllr Ed Blake said Cllr Jordan had led the authority to a “sorry position” in its relations with the service provider.

Cllr Blake wrote:

“Legal disputes have lingered while political responsibility for the roads contract has rested solely with him personally and/or his Alliance administration for eight of the last 12 years.

“That ‘constant disagreements’ in the contract exist is a damning reflection on his leadership and his inability to work with others.”

The Alliance administration was further responsible for a “collective failure of the council” to “address road issues that matter to our communities”, the opposition politician said.

Hitting back today (Tuesday), Cllr Jordan accused the representative for Ventnor and St Lawrence of making a “politically driven attack that is inappropriate, wrongly informed and without merit”.

He told the press:

“I would start by reminding him (Cllr Blake) that it was the Conservative group under the then leadership of David Pugh, back in 2012/2013, that delivered the now infamous Highways PFI contract.

“Over the past 12 years there have been numerous disputes, ongoing disagreements, and several legal processes concluded either through mediation or commercial agreement.

“We are currently faced with further dispute and legal process over key service delivery contractual issues that the council and the service provider do not agree on.

“Absolutely nothing to do with leadership or policy but very much to do with interpretation and disagreement over what the contract says and for what the council believes it is paying.”

In his April 25 letter, printed in the County Press, Cllr Blake cited a series of “failings” under the current leaders’s watch.

He said:

“First, the council was awarded £2.14 million in 2023 for various safety improvements on the A3056 yet nothing apparent has been done.”

“Much has been done”, Cllr Jordan countered today, pointing to the drawing up, design, costing and planning of a “number of schemes” including “traffic management plans, timings of work – due to disruptions on a main road – and testing of safety outcomes.”

Cllr Blake continued:

“Second, the council received £1.6 million last year to fix potholes. Where has this money gone?”

To this, County Hall’s leader stated the funding had been funnelled towards “highways schemes and improvements” to “offset insufficient funding from government over the last 15 years”.

In Cllr Blake’s third line of attack, he said:

“£300,000 was set aside for Vittlefields Cross (at the expense of other safety schemes) but despite appeals for action by the Isle of Wight coroner and a 7,000-name petition in 2019, no significant work has been undertaken.”

The Vittlefields Cross scheme had been awarded to a contractor and “will be completed shortly”, Cllr Jordan said, adding that “delays in the main work starting” were the result of “land ownership issues”.

Lastly, Cllr Blake wrote:

“In my ward of Ventnor and St Lawrence, we have Belgrave, Bath and Southgrove Roads all closed with a host of excuses offered.

“When it came to Leeson Road, Ventnor residents well know that council inaction extended the closure for many months longer than necessary.”

Cllr Jordan responded:

“Work is being progressed with the responsible owners to facilitate the opening of these roads as soon as possible.

“It is in everyone’s interest to ensure the roads are open but there are complicated legal issues to overcome, and the council cannot inadvertently accept liability for land and property that is owned by a third party.

“Leeson Road was opened when it was considered safe to do so after a significant landslide event and following extensive geological investigations.

“The council works incredibly hard when these events occur to find safe and expedient solutions whilst maintaining the safety and integrity of the highways network for all users.”