By Isle of Wight Observer
Local authorities often hail large government grants as “victories” for residents, but the inconvenient paper trail behind the IW Council’s takeover of the prison estate roads tells a different story. What was sold as a £6.3 million boost has, instead, become a multi‑million‑pound stalemate – that has taken years to begin shifting.
Fending off FoIs
The gridlock was laid bare when the council was asked for copies of the March 2021 deeds and final Heads of Agreement of the transfer under the Freedom of Information Act. In a terse response, council officers refused, saying documents are “publicly available from the Land Registry”.
Those documents confirmed a sobering reality: Island taxpayers officially own the crumbling roads and the council is responsible for their upkeep “in perpetuity”.
A ticking clock
In March 2021, the council agreed to take ownership of the residential streets in MoJ ownership, they were mostly on the Camp Hill site, the majority of Albany and Parkhurst roads are householder owned. The MoJ, eager to dump a neglected infrastructure liability, handed them over, with a one-off capital payment of £6.3 million.
Council leaders championed the deal as a mechanism to “de-risk” the area, hoping it would unlock negotiations to buy the Camp Hill site for a nominal £1 to build a 1,750-home “Garden Village”.
However, clause 12.9.7 of the transfer stipulated that the council was required to repair the roads within two years of the April 2021 transfer date.
When queried about the two-year deadline, the council claimed there has been “no direct consequence” to the delay, other than a total “transfer of risk.” County Hall said officers routinely inspect the area for safety while continuing to engage with the MoJ regarding timeframes.
Where’s the money?
While the grand housing project remains stalled by the MoJ, the £6.3 million road fund has been little used. A total of £871,039 has been spent , but where that cash was actually directed has some surprises. Despite crumbling asphalt throughout the estate, a meager £13,300 was spent on carriageway treatments, and £2,321 spent on footways.
Instead of physical roadworks, £501,000 has been used for street lighting, with £166,403 in “committed funds”. Grounds maintenance also took priority over the roads, with £152,013 spent on cutting grass and trees. Administrative fees have further eroded the pot, with legal costs (£47,788) , project management (£55,820) and tax advice (£3,510) costing over £107,000, nearly eight times the sum used to mend roads.
Despite public statements referencing an ongoing tender process, officers recently admitted they were unable to provide a timescale. Now, the council claims it is in the final stages of commissioning a contract for road, footway, and surface water drainage upgrades to be carried out over18-months, with construction to commence later this year.
The impact of inflation
There is one “direct consequence” of the long delay. The Bank of England inflation calculator, shows the 2021 £6.3 million dowry would need to be £8.3 million today to give the same purchasing power. Crucially, the council has conceded that the sum – intended to cover both initial upgrades and ongoing maintenance – does not allow for “wholesale reconstruction” of the roads.
However, FoI disclosures reveal something County Hall rarely advertises. By holding the funds in an interest-bearing account , the council has a “Camphill Inflation Reserve” of £830,795 in interest. Combined with the remaining balance, County Hall is sitting on roughly £5.84 million in cash. A long way short of the £8.3 million which would have retained the purchasing power of the original payment.
Doesn’t the PFI cover them?
The prison roads were built to “non-standard” specifications, so cannot be added to the Island’s Highways PFI maintenance contract. Bringing them up to standard would need total reconstruction – which the council cannot afford. Instead of delivering a comprehensive rebuild, the authority admits it is now developing a “cost-effective programme of works” to improve basic safety and curb future maintenance costs.
Local councillor Andrew Garratt is at least on the case. He whispered in Mr Crow’s ear: “I was pleased the streetlights, were quickly renewed across all three estates. It made a real difference to safety and security for residents.
“It was then immensely frustrating that months turned to years before a contract for the upgrades was finally tendered early this year, particularly as roads and pavements continued to deteriorate.
“Council officers have assured me that the final legal processes are nearly completed. I will of course be keeping up the pressure.”
With nearly £6 million sitting in the bank and a paper trail exposing years of administrative inertia, the residents of Camp Hill remain trapped in a landscape of institutional neglect – waiting to see if spades will ever actually hit the ground.