From John Sprake, Wootton Bridge:

Re Cllr Mosdell’s comment “that no other council in the country provides non-means tested funding to transfer NHS patients” (CP, letters 16-11-18).

Is she aware no other council spends millions on a floating bridge that doesn’t always manage to cross the River Medina?

Is she also aware of any other council in the country whose residents have to use public and private transport (ferry or hovercraft) in a single trip to access life-saving medical treatment and finance the cost their selves (I believe ferries in Scotland are subsidised)?

She has a choice of whether to reclaim her travelling expenses on council business — does she deny herself that choice?

Obviously not as she claimed £1,533 expenses in 2017/18 for travelling to meetings etc.

Yet she is happy to deny the same choice to Island residents attending life-saving treatment on the mainland!

 We are not talking about those people on benefit or those fortunate enough to be able to finance their own travel costs, but those unfortunate people who exist just above the benefit level and live in an area of high transport costs (not only off the Island, but on the Island as well), high council tax and a low-wage economy.

 To bring the matter into perspective, members’ allowances in 2017/18 for attending meetings etc was £461,127 yet the cost of assisted travel for life-saving cancer treatment is £60,000.

 Would Cllr Mosdell like to ask the taxpayers on the Island which budget they would like to cut?