SENIOR Isle of Wight Councillors will attend a private meeting about the controversial Highways PFI contract at County Hall today (Tuesday) — a move that has outraged one of the project's most vocal critics.

The confidential briefing was requested by the council's scrutiny committee — the body responsible for ensuring the council is held publicly accountable.

Just eight scrutiny committee members and ten cabinet members are due to attend the meeting, to ask about missed milestones, penalties imposed on Island Roads and delayed works.

PFI critic and former scrutiny committee chair, Cllr Geoff Brodie, who plans to attend the meeting until he is asked to leave, said he understood those present would have to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

He said it was wrong that fellow councillors and the public would be kept in the dark about one of the Isle of Wight's biggest contracts.

He said: "The information provided will be worse than useless for effective scrutiny.

"Therefore, I will be attending the start of the briefing in protest — I am inviting others not on the committee to join me.

"It is clear to me opposition members should be collectively protesting this disgraceful abuse of members’ rights to information."

In the Highways PFI's seven-year core investment period, set to end this year, the original project scope included refurbishing every publicly maintained road, 818km.

However, the latest figures suggest only 65 per cent of the network has been treated.

Scrutiny committee chair Cllr Andrew Garratt said: “Confidential briefings to members of the council’s scrutiny committees are rare but, from time to time, they are necessary. This is always done on the basis of legal advice.

"Confidential briefings ensure scrutiny members have access to information to which they are entitled, while at the same time maintaining the necessary confidentiality to protect and uphold the interests of the council and the citizens of the Isle of Wight, as well as preserve and respect the contractual rights of third parties.

"After receiving the briefing, members of the corporate scrutiny committee will consider how they wish to proceed and what further enquiries they might want to make.

"This will be a matter for discussion and decision at our scheduled meeting next week, February 11."

UPDATE: Island Roads has asked the County Press to clarify the Highways PFI contract approved by the council did not include a requirement to upgrade every road, only to ‘bring the network up to an agreed average standard.’

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