Since the announcement by Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, that council elections would be postponed on the Isle of Wight this year, there has been much debate about whether the Island’s two MPs should continue to retain their roles as local councillors.
In July 2024, Isle of Wight councillor for Bembridge, Joe Robertson (Con), was elected a MP for Isle of Wight East, while councillor for Cowes North, Richard Quigley (Lab), was elected as MP for Isle of Wight West.
Quigley to stand down
To avoid the cost of a by-election, Richard Quigley had intended to remain as a councillor until the May 2025 local election. His office advises OnTheWight that Richard still intends to stand down, but is aware there may be other Isle of Wight councillors who also wish to stand down in May (and not carry on for another year), and is therefore in discussions with the council about possible timings.
A spokesperson from his office explained to OnTheWight,
“Following the announcement, he’s already been in contact with the council’s monitoring officer to discuss options and timetable.
“He’s asked if any other by-elections can be coordinated to avoid unnecessary expense or strain on resource as there’s likely to be at least one other if not more that need to take place.”
Robertson to remain in place
The MP for Isle of Wight East, however, has told OnTheWight that he intends to remain as an Isle of Wight councillor to “campaign against merging with part of the Mainland and against a Hampshire-based Mayor”.
Joe told OnTheWight that he would be “campaigning against merging the Isle of Wight council with part of the Mainland and against a Hampshire-based Mayor” and believes he “can do that better by continuing to serve as a councillor” during this “dangerous time”.
He added,
“When our council is safe from the Government, and there is no risk of a mainland-based Mayor making decisions on the Island, I will resign my council seat so that the residents of Bembridge can elect a new Councillor.”
He went on to add,
“I currently have a 90% attendance rate at Council meetings [since becoming a councillor], which puts me in the top 20% of councillors, and I am in the top 20% of MPs for oral and written contributions in Parliament.”
