This article has been updated since publishing.
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Retired Hack has been investigating the disappearance of a requirement for Isle of Wight town, parish and county councillors to declare whether they are Freemasons. Ed
The Isle of Wight Council last summer dropped a requirement for councillors to declare personal interests such as Freemasonry, OnTheWight can reveal.
We have provided the incoming Independent administration with a detailed dossier showing how the Conservative-led council used the Localism Act, which devolved ethical oversight to local authorities, as an opportunity for an about-turn which was not subject to any democratic scrutiny, and puts the Island at odds with practice elsewhere.
Handled by council’s legal chief
It was authorised by the Council’s Monitoring Officer and legal chief, Davina Fiore – in spite of a decision by Full Council last June that members should disclose non-financial interests as well as pecuniary (financial) ones. The Independent group, then the second largest grouping on the council, insists that it was not explicitly consulted on the Mason clause, as does Labour.
The change led to confusion among town and parish councils, who the IW Council had already advised to include all the details on their own registers. About half followed this advice, while the rest did not.
Only three parish councillors declared membership
As a result, OnTheWight could find only three parish councillors on the whole Island who have confirmed their membership either of the Freemasons or of the Grand Charity – the Freemasons’ Grand Charity to give it its full name.
Against council’s Ethical Standards Cmte direction
Until last summer, the IW Council’s Members’ Register of Interests was overseen by the Council’s Ethical Standards Committee.
At the committee’s final meeting before it was disbanded – also under the Localism Act provisions – it recommended a local Code of Conduct and Register of Interests which continued to include membership of any “company, industrial and provident society, charity, or body directed to charitable purposes”.
That recommendation continued established practice, and was endorsed by the Full Council on 20th June last year.
Amendments delegated to legal chief
But, because the Government was at that stage still deciding whether spouses’ interests should be included on registers, the Council gave Ms Fiore delegated authority
“in consultation with group leaders… to make any further minor amendments to the proposed Code of Conduct, Register of Interests and the proposed procedure once the detailed regulations have been published”.
Ms Fiore had told the Council the wording of the pecuniary section needed to follow government requirements.
Pugh’s comments to IWALC
A month later, on 19th July, with formal IWC consideration of the register concluded, Council leader David Pugh addressed the Isle of Wight Association of Local Councils (IWALC). The minutes of that meeting record that he
“requested the support of IWALC in complaining (to the Department for Communities and Local Government) about the inclusion of partners’ interests, and said that discretionary interests may not be included in the register of interests, however this remains under discussion”.
The ‘discretionary interests’ would include Freemason membership.
Group leaders not explicitly consulted on Masonic declaration
OnTheWight has spoken this week to the Independent group leader, Ian Stephens, and to Labour’s sole representative on the old council, Geoff Lumley, about the “consultation with Group leaders” which Miss Fiore was instructed to carry out before changing anything.
Ian Stephens originally replied, “I was not consulted”. Later, after being shown the email from an officer, he said, “To make my own position clear, I was consulted about changes to the current register although not specifically on the issue of Freemasonry. I am happy to set the record straight and to apologise if my earlier comment left room for any doubt.”
Geoff Lumley told OnTheWight, “I can confirm that there was some general discussion at Group Leader’s meetings last summer about the new requirements, but nothing was ever mentioned when I was present (or separately) about removing the Freemasons question.”
When the article was originally published we were awaiting a comment from Reg Barry, who led the old Lib-Dem Group and is now their only councillor. We also wrote to outgoing leader of the Island Conservatives and former Council Leader, David Pugh. Now, 24th May, we are still awaiting responses from both.
Declaration written into IWC 2001 constitution
The disclosure of Freemasonry in local government has been required for years. In 2001 it was explicitly written into the IW Council’s constitution. The Standards Board for England was equally clear – until local authorities were entrusted with its ethical oversight functions last summer.
The Standards Board made clear that…
“Freemasons who are members of the Grand Charity must, under paragraph 15(c) of the Code of Conduct, register membership of the Grand Charity in their register of members’ interests and, where appropriate, declare their membership of the Grand Charity as a personal or prejudicial interest before or during council meetings.”
Past senior councillors who were Masons
In 2010, Cabinet members Cllrs George Brown and Eddie Giles had to be reminded of those obligations. At that time only Cllrs Gary Taylor and Arthur Taylor, unrelated Ryde Conservatives who were both defeated in this month’s elections along with Eddie Giles, had declared themselves as Freemasons. George Brown has now retired.
Gurnard and Northwood Parish Councils were among those which continued to use the old-style, longer, registers for 2012-13, having stuck with the initial advice of Miss Fiore’s department to so do.
Independent IW councillor Paul Fuller, who sat on both parish councils, wrote on those Registers:
“I wish to formally place on record that I am not a Freemason or member of any like organisation.”
Independent councillors concerned at news
A number of Independent councillors are known to be concerned at OnTheWight’s discovery, and we are awaiting a statement from the new administration.
A recent inquiry from another parish councillor, concerned that this year’s form differs from last year’s, met the response from Miss Fiore’s department that
“everything was very new then”,
and adds:
“You will see from our minutes that the Monitoring Officer was delegated authority (in consultation with the Group Leaders) to amend amongst others the Register of Interest. We duly did this at the end of July last year to the shorter version.”
The department is also thought to believe that the Council’s position is covered by the fact that the new Register meets minimum legal requirements.
Is the Island unique in dropping this?
Away from the Island, the practice of declaring Freemasonry continues, virtually universally, regardless of the political colour of the councils. Portsmouth (Lib-Dem controlled), Southampton (Labour) and New Forest (Conservative) are local examples.
It appears to be widely accepted elsewhere that, regardless of any judgement about Masonic activity, secrecy surrounding its membership has no place in the democratic process.
Now missing from IWC Website
IW councillors’ truncated registers can be accessed on the Council’s Website, although revisions to the site have made them harder to find, and new councillors’ details have yet to appear.
Update 28.May.13 06:10 – Ian Stephens now acknowledges that he was consulted, “although not specifically on the issue of freemasonry.”
As stated in the original article, the need for councillors to declare their membership of the Freemasons on the Members’ Register of Interests was removed during the changes, despite Full council only delegating authorisation “to make any further minor amendments.”
It remains a fact that the dropping of the requirement to state membership of the Freemasons was not discussed in public or debated in the council Chamber.
Alterations made to the article – primarily removing references to ‘Secretly’ – after evidence was presented to us that Cllr Ian Stephens was written to by a council officer informing him of the intention to alter the details to be recorded in the councillor’s Register of Interests. This has been added to the article.
Image: Irish Man Lost under CC BY 2.0
