END OF A CHAPTER

Last night saw the final meeting of the Newport Town Management Committee (TMC) after 2 years existence. The TMC has been a sort of 'shadow town council' until a proper Town Council is elected on May 1st, and has consisted of the 8 IW Councillors in Newport and Carisbrooke and up to 8 properly appointed co-optees.

Formal emparishment of Newport is a consequence of the IW Council's decision to charge a local precept on local households back in 2006, whether local people wanted a parish council or not. This lead to a 'no taxation without representation' petition for a local council the following summer, which was then approved by central government at the end of last year. The same has also happened in Ryde, Northwood and Whippingham - with Newport the last bastions of non-parishment on the Island !

For the last 2 years I have chaired the TMC and it was good to reflect last night on what we have achieved in that time (though pretty small scale), and to receive the warm 'thanks you's' for my leadership from the other members of the TMC - of all parties and none. Disappointment was also pretty clear at the meeting that the Island's MP has continued to support the rejected petition for a separate Carisbrooke parish council without ever approaching us to explain why.

So now there will be formal elections to the new Town Council on 1st May. Two town councillors will be elected for each of the 8 Newport wards and I really hope that there is plenty of interest in being elected and a reasonable turnout to vote. I personally have decided to seek election to the new Town Council for the Pan ward and will be standing with my IW Council predecessor and friend Tony Coburn (who was a co-optee on the TMC). Hopefully we will both get elected and be able to continue putting Pan at the heart of Newport, not on the fringes.