Ventnor Town Council’s Policy & Resources Committee thank Ross Honeybourne for presenting the series of statements and points for clarification to the Committee Meeting on 8th April 2026. The paper was signed by “Ventnor Community”.
To answer the main points raised, the majority of the budget line increases are based on inflationary pressures rather than expansion of services. Ventnor Town Council has undergone a challenging time financially to a point of having a negative reserves balance (-£7,189) at the end of March 2025. Councils are advised to carry reserves of a minimum of 3-months’ expenditure. For VTC, that would equate to £180,000 so clearly there is a lot of work to be done to recover financially. This process was started in the budget year 2025/26, and continued into the current 2026/27 budget year. This led to a difficult balance between increasing the precept to rebuild the reserves and meet inflationary pressures, and not reducing or removing service provisions. One case in point being the Beach Safety provision, which has been retained albeit at a lower level than in previous years.
As well as immediate financial pressures, strategic maintenance of the Town Council’s assets has been neglected over recent years. Plans are now in place to repair and improve these, with a key focus being on the Esplanade Toilets. Funds are available for this work, but due in part to reduced staffing levels and increased workload with other urgent work taking priority, progress has been slower than desired.
The Policy and Resources Committee or Full Council would be pleased to facilitate a meeting with Members of the Ventnor Community if there are any follow-up questions.