Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2007 | Page 39

INTERVIEW
we get the repeat business.”
There had been proposals
for a joint venture with the
ferry companies, but this
foundered over disagreements
over funding arrangements.
Now David is concentrating
on getting information centres
in better positions so visitors
arriving at, say, Ryde Pier, have
the facts they need for their
Island visit at their fingertips.
He is keen also to concentrate
on niche markets in tourism.
But while his predecessor
ruffled feathers – and made
the headlines – when he told
Island Life that he’d like to
ban coaches from the Island,
David displays a bit of agile
politicking. “Coaches have
an ongoing role to play on the
Island,” he says. “It’s important
people come and have a good
time, but it’s true that holiday
makers in coaches don’t
always spend a lot, and we
need to boost the economy.”
Next on his big ‘to do’ list is
housing. “We need to keep
villages like Nettlestone
or Arreton or Brighstone
alive, so we are exploring
the idea of covenanting
council-owned land: sale of
property on that land would
be restricted to buyers within
that town, or village, or at
least the Island. That would
really make a difference.
“Yet we don’t want to
completely deter second
home owners, they do add

to the economy and often
come here to invest.”
At the heart of the problem is
lack of affordable homes, which
David is keen to tackle. “Most
people want to own their own
home. In shared ownership
schemes, we can “staircase”
them up till they own their own
outright. The Council has said
we want every builder of a new
unit to make a contribution to
affordable housing. If that can’t
be on the site being built, a
monetary contribution should
be put in a pot for affordable
housing elsewhere. Some
developers aren’t going to like
it, but there is no easy solution.”
He cites the new roundabout
at East Cowes as a good
example of developers working
with and for the infrastructure
of the Island. Barratts, having
built new houses, undertook the
road scheme too. “In fact in law,
every developer should make a
contribution to highways, open
space or even education when
they build new houses,” says
David. “In the past, Council has
not been good at collecting the
sums. Given that infrastructure
is crucial to the whole
strategy, this is something
we should move on. “
What else can he do to
help people get their own
homes? Is it true the Council
is about to do a bit of a
Northern Rock? “That isn’t
an example we’d particularly
like to follow,” he laughs. “The

Photos:
Right-top, You
will often see
David riding his
mountain bike
round Shanklin,
"I do it mainly
to keep fit."
Right, David
standing outside
a development
which he
believes has
overstepped
the mark
and blotted
the Shanklin
landscape.

Island Life - www.isleofwight.net

Government has talked about
offering mortgages, and we
will explore the idea, but we
would have to be very aware
of the potential risk to many
people. It would not be right
to encourage or enable some
people to take on a mortgage.”
For all his big ideas for the
Island, it is David's overall
grasp of its needs that singles
him out. “If we don’t get the
education right we won’t have
the skills that we need for the
business and industry. We
need more apprentice-type
training, so that more young
people, with their skills, stay
here. Too many of our young
people are going off the Island
and not coming back.”
David's predecessor went into
the job with all guns blazing,
saying he was not going to
be told by his officers how to
run the council. Is he about to
do the same? “Andy needed
to turn round poor practices
in council, but different times
call for different approaches.

life

I am going to build on the
lead Andy Sutton made.
Our team of officers has
completely changed, and we
will draw on Andy’s example
to reach out to councils like
Westminster. We’ve been
criticised for that approach,
but if you want excellence,
why not look to the best?”
And although he’s an Island
boy he is frustrated by the
attitude that can exist that all
officials have to be Islanders.
“It is refreshing to bring
people in from the mainland,
to have a fresh pair of eyes
look at a problem. There are
lots of councillors in the rest
of the country, with different
experiences. There is no point
in us reinventing the wheel.”

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