COUNCILS COMBINE BACK OFFICE

Lake Parish and Sandown Town Council are embarking on an innovative initiative to share back office support, whilst maintaining their individual and independent statuses, to reduce future cost pressures and support shared commitment to a Bay Place Plan, and joint projects such as youth service provision.

Like Councils on and off the Island, Lake and Sand

own are facing increased costs in providing community services, such as public toilets and grounds maintenance, which are likely to result in increases in the local precept.s

Lake Parish Chair Paul Brading said ‘Like Sandown, Lake have consulted with residents and we know improved services, such as new public toilets at Lake Cliff Gardens and New Road are priorities, as is investment in Youth provision, and we need to ensure this investment is affordable now and in the longer term’.

Sandown Mayor Paddy Lightfoot added ‘We want to balance the need to properly fund services, to meet the expectations of residents and visitors, and this back office initiative is part of that process and we have already secured external funding to support Warm Spaces in Lake and Sandown, as well as the Youth Initiative and Place Plan Project with Shanklin’.

The shared back office will enable a shared Clerk, Responsible Financial Officer, as well as IT support, maintenance contracts, and other efficiencies. Paul and Paddy concluded ‘Whilst maintaining our separate identities, we recognise we will have stronger voice together and make a bigger difference to our communities, just as we did jointly during the Covid Lockdown with out joint support network, and we are working to ensure this initiative keeps the forthcoming precepts as low as possible whilst delivering the improvements prioritised by the parishioners of Lake and Sandown’.

Lake Chairman Paul Brading with Sandown Mayor Paddy Lightfoot and Lake Councillors