As reported by OnTheWight on Wednesday (26th June 2025), the Minister for Local Government, announced the Government’s intention to scrap the committee system of local council governance.
As readers will know, after a proposal was tabled by Councillor Geoff Brodie (Ind Lab) in July 2023, Isle of Wight councillors agreed on 1st May 2024 to ditch the ‘Leader and Cabinet’ system of governance and move to a Committee system.
It was not the first time Councillor Brodie had proposed the motion, but this time he was successful. And after a year of planning and adaptation, one year on, Isle of Wight council has now switched to a Committee system of governance.
IWC’s views
With the Government planning to change legislation to insist on local authorities return to ‘Leader and Cabinet’ governance, OnTheWight got in touch with the council to hear their views.
A spokesperson for Isle of Wight council told OnTheWight,
“Government have announced their intention and there is no detail, so as a council we cannot comment any further at this time.”
Brodie: Committee system is a return to democracy
In light of the news from Jim McMahon, Councillor Brodie told OnTheWight,
“After Blair’s new Labour government introduced compulsory Cabinet governance into local government in 2001, Councils were then given the option to choose a return to Committee governance by Cameron’s Conservative-LibDem government in 2011.
“I welcomed that and at my initiative the IW Council took advantage of that right to choose last year. It is a return to democracy with all councillors involved in decision-making, not just a very few or even on their own. Many of whom are entirely unsuited to such responsibility.”
Labour pushing through proposals they made no mention of last July
He went on to add,
“This announcement by Starmer’s Labour government proves once again that this is a government that uses its undemocratic majority at Westminster – just one third of the vote last year – to push through proposals that they made no mention of last July.
“Proposals that have been proven locally, under the current and past hung Councils to be both undemocratic and lacking in transparency.
Brodie: Labour MP voted in favour of Committee system
Councillor Brodie finished by saying,
“Interestingly mine and my constituents’ MP, Councillor Richard Quigley (Labour, Isle of Wight West) voted in favour of the move to a Committee system last year [prior to becoming an MP].
“I trust he will continue to articulate that support within the corridors of power.”
