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The local authorityCouncil · Unitary · England · 1 of 63 unitary authorities

Isle of Wight.

Reform UK-controlled unitary. £190m net revenue. 39 wards across 2 parliamentary constituencies.

TypeUnitary
Seats39 councillors · 39 wards
Last election7 May 2026
Websiteiow.gov.uk ↗
Net revenue · 2025-26
£190m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
£2,493
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
19/39
Reform UK 49%
Westminster
2
constituencies overlap · 2 MP parties
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Reform UK chamber, 2-party MP geography.

Isle of Wight is a unitary controlled by Reform UK (19 of 39 seats). Net revenue is £190m for 2025-26. It covers 39 wards spanning 2 parliamentary constituencies. The MP geography crosses 2 parties — a heterogeneous setup.

§ 01Composition.39 seats · last contested 7 May 2026

Who sits in the chamber.

Ref 19Ind 9LD 4Independent Network 2Green 2Con 2

Reform UK 49% · last contested 7 May 2026

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Mark RochellLDBembridge2026
Ian William DoreIndBinstead Fishbourne2026
Jonathan Francis BaconIndBrading St Helens2026
Nick StuartLDBrighstone Calbourne Shalfleet2026
Vix LowthionGrnCarisbrooke Gunville2026
James WhelanRefCentral Rural2026
Claire Leah CritchisonGrnChale Niton Shorwell2026
Lora Jane Peacey-WilcoxIndCowes Medina2026
Jock RaffertyLabCowes North2026
Gordon AdamRefCowes South Northwood2026
Paul Andrew FullerIndCowes West Gurnard2026
Karl LoveIndEast Cowes2026
Showing 12 of 39·All 39 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

57%
Council tax
£109.3m · median 59%
31%
Central grants
£59.6m · median 30%
11%
Business rates
£21.3m · median 11%

Revenue mix is close to the unitary authorities median: 57% council tax, 31% central grants.

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Council slice£2,004
County / upper-tier£0
Police£275
Fire & rescue£88
GLA precept£0
Parish average£126
Total Band-D£2,493

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.10 buckets · vs 62 other unitary authorities

How does Isle of Wight split its revenue across services, compared with peer unitary authoritie-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Education36.7% of net spend · cohort median 36%
30 of 61+2% vs median
Adult Social Care32.3% of net spend · cohort median 27%
8 of 61+19% vs median
Children's Services13.1% of net spend · cohort median 15%
41 of 61-12% vs median
Highways & Transport4.2% of net spend · cohort median 3%
12 of 61+59% vs median
Waste & Recycling3.3% of net spend · cohort median 6%
60 of 61-43% vs median
Public Health2.9% of net spend · cohort median 4%
42 of 61-20% vs median
Corporate & Central2.1% of net spend · cohort median 3%
45 of 61-25% vs median
Housing & Homelessness2.1% of net spend · cohort median 2%
29 of 61+12% vs median
Planning & Economic Development1.9% of net spend · cohort median 1%
22 of 61+38% vs median
Culture & Leisure1.3% of net spend · cohort median 2%
53 of 61-40% vs median
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.39 wards split across 2 parliamentary seats

Isle of Wight’s territory crosses 2 Westminster constituencies, with 2 MP parties represented. The middle column shows how much of the council each seat carries.

ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Isle of Wight East2051% Joe RobertsonCon
Isle of Wight West1949% Richard QuigleyLab
Of note · the mixed-MP geography

This council holds 1 Ind and 1 Ind MPs. That’s an unusually heterogeneous geography for a Reform UK-controlled unitary — most weeks one MP is asking the council for something and another is praising it.

Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 62 other unitary authorities
Band-DMHCLG CSP · precept schedules
Police, Fire, Parish on top
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
Not yet ingested for Isle of Wight
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level