DO NOT CANCEL ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL ELECTIONS ON 1st MAY 2025.

The Isle of Wight Council’s leaders want to create a new Combined Authority with Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton, including a Hampshire-based elected Mayor making decisions for the Isle of Wight. In order to make this happen quickly, they have asked the Government to cancel our elections to the Isle of Wight Council due on 1st May 2025. We say NO! The Council Elections must go ahead so that the residents of the Isle of Wight can decide who represents them in May, and whether we want a Mayor based in Hampshire making decisions for us.

Please sign the petition to say to Government:– DO NOT CANCEL ISLE OF WIGHT COUNCIL ELECTIONS ON 1st MAY 2025.

Further information:
The Isle of Wight population is about 10% of Hampshire, Southampton and Portsmouth – the new Combined Authority area. The Mayor will be a directly elected politician but the Isle of Wight will represent just 10% of their constituents.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole may be added to the Combined Area meaning the Isle of Wight would be watered down to only 7%.
The Mayor will take powers away from the Isle of Wight Council,  eg. for Strategic Planning. That means a Hampshire-based Mayor will get to say how many houses should be built on the Isle of Wight. With pressure from the Government and 90% of constituents based in Hampshire, we think the Mayor will allocate more house building on the Isle of Wight than we need or want.
The Mayor can impose their own “Council Tax precept” meaning Council Tax can go up if the Mayor wants.

For more information:

Cabinet Decision is here https://iow.moderngov.co.uk/documents/g1934/Decisions%2009th-Jan-2025%2017.00%20Cabinet.pdf?T=2

The white paper is here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-devolution-white-paper-power-and-partnership-foundations-for-growth/english-devolution-white-paper