An Isle of Wight councillor has called on the island’s next administration to launch an independent review of the Highways PFI contract following the handling of the Firestone Copse Road closure, a call he made before the recent wave of press releases from Visit Isle of Wight, fellow councillors, and other organisations about roadworks disruption across the Island.
According to On The Wight, Councillor Ian Dore raised these concerns ahead of what has since become a broader public debate about highways management on the Isle of Wight.
The call comes ahead of next week’s council elections, with Councillor Dore saying the volume of material he has worked through points to serious failings in communication and decision-making. hesaid although the road has since reopened, he had deliberately waited before speaking out.
He said:
“It would have been wrong to rush to judgment before working through the volume of correspondence, parish evidence, FOI material, and resident evidence that has emerged since. Having done that over recent weeks, one thing is now clear. What happened was not acceptable, and the next administration must act.”
Councillor Dore said that while some documents have come to light through FOI requests, and he has submitted further FOI and EIR requests, the picture remains incomplete. He said,
“There is still no clear and convincing justification for what happened. Instead, the material seen so far exposes communication problems and leaves major questions unanswered about decision-making, accountability, and how this closure was handled.”
He pointed out that Wootton, Fishbourne, and Havenstreet and Ashey parish councils had all raised the possibility of a one-way arrangement well before the closure took effect – not as a late objection, but as a practical alternative put forward early, repeatedly, and in writing.
“Residents have still not been shown the kind of formal options appraisal, or clear decision record they would reasonably expect.”
Councillor Dore acknowledged that a meeting has been arranged with Island Roads and the council’s Service Director for Highways and Community Protection, describing it as potentially useful.
However, he was clear that a meeting alone falls short of what is needed.
He commented:
“A meeting on its own is not a binding remedy, and it is not a substitute for democratic scrutiny, or formal action by elected members after the election,” adding that the concerns extend well beyond Firestone Copse Road, raising Island-wide questions about the PFI contract and how the council’s highways function operates in practice.
He drew a parallel with the Penn report, arguing that the same willingness to examine governance properly should now apply to highways.
His conclusion, after weeks of studying the available information, is that the next administration should commission an independent contract assurance review of the Highways PFI as an early priority, covering the integration, oversight, and operation of the council’s Highways department – and should stand ready to act on whatever that review finds.
He said,
“The road has opened, but the issues and concerns are far from closed.”
