Isle of Wight Floating Bridge, parking and burial costs to rise

The average Band D house on the island will have to find an extra £86.46 a year

Isle of Wight residents will be paying more to use council services from April after a "survival budget" was rubber-stamped by its ruling authority.

Increases in parking charges, Floating Bridge fees and the costs of burials and cremations was agreed by the council on Wednesday night.

It also voted to increase council tax bills by 5% from April, taking the annual total for a Band D household to £1,817.61, an increase of £86.46.

Some services are also being cut.

Stroke social care support, an NHS patient falls coordinator and funding for patients travelling across the Solent have all been axed.

Councillor Karl Love, cabinet member for adult social care on the authority's ruling Alliance group, said he was "bitterly disappointed" to have voted for the budget with the proposed cuts.

Councillor Karl Love previously said the budget-setting process had been "pretty stressful"

Funding for adult social care and children's services was increased by £7.6m and £4.3m respectively.

Cabinet member for strategic finance and transformational change, councillor Chris Jarman, said it was a "survival budget for the authority", with significant cuts in many areas.

Proposed amendments which looked to cut the IT budget posed operational risks as it would lower the council's defences to future cyber attacks, councillors said.

The amendments were both voted on but fell, with more votes against than in favour, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The budget was passed with 21 in favour, four against and 11 abstentions — the majority of the opposition Conservative party.

The council tax increase, as well as a rise in costs for fire and police services, will take effect from 1 April.