Leader of the Conservative group of councillors on the Isle of Wight council, Cllr Joe Robertson, shares this latest release. In his own words. Ed
Leader of the Conservatives on the Isle of Wight Council, Cllr Joe Robertson (Bembridge), has branded the Alliance Group’s claim to be “open and transparent” an empty and hollow slogan.
The comments follow January’s Full Council Meeting where a new Chair of Corporate Scrutiny Committee was chosen after Cllr Steve Hastings‘ resignation as Conservative Group Leader due to poor health.
Surprise move
The Conservative Group nominated their new leader Cllr Joe Robertson (Bembridge) for the committee role ahead of the meeting.
They expected their nomination to go through unopposed but in a move that took them by surprise, the Alliance Group nominated Labour’s Cllr Richard Quigley (Cowes North) on the night, and voted him through.
Robertson: “A secret plot to install their own choice”
Speaking after the meeting Cllr Robertson said,
“Last year the Alliance Group took power and made a big noise about handing the Chair of Corporate Scrutiny to the main opposition group as part of a new, open politics. It is recorded in the meeting minutes of Full Council in May 2021 (page 4 para 40).
“What we saw on Wednesday night was a secret plot to install their own choice to chair the main committee that scrutinises their own work. They have gone back on their word.
“Their claim to be ‘open and transparent’ is in tatters. If it meant anything at all they would have given notice of their nomination before the meeting like we did, and they would have provided proper time for consideration. In the end the decision was made in under a minute with no debate and no speeches. That is no way to choose the Chair of the most powerful scrutiny committee on the Council, contrary to a minuted agreement.”
Brading: Voters will surely feel duped
Deputy Conservative Group Leader Paul Brading (Lake South) added,
“Not a single Councillor stood as an Alliance candidate at the last election. Now there is a block of 17 of them registered as a political group with the Council, working to a party whip behind closed doors.
“Voters who elected them on the basis they were ‘independent’ will surely feel duped.”
Dispute over Audit Committee
The fall-out from January’s Full Council meeting comes on the back of a growing disagreement about who should sit on Audit Committee.
The Council’s Constitution says that members of Cabinet and scrutiny committees “should ideally not” sit on Audit Committee.
Call for Bacon and Stephens to stand down from Committee
Cllr Robertson said,
“All of the Alliance councillors who sit on Audit are either in the Cabinet or sit on a scrutiny committee. The Chair of Audit also sits on a scrutiny committee.
“Two weeks ago I wrote to Cllrs Stephens and Bacon asking them to stand down from Audit. So far both have declined. We now know that instead they were working in secret to install their own nomination as Chair of Corporate Scrutiny.
“The Alliance clearly like marking their own homework. Islanders will rightly think they are trying to hide something. Their new politics is starting to smell rather stale.”
