Questions have been raised after the former Conservative leader of the Isle of Wight council was appointed as an “independent” and “non-political member” of the newly formed Police and Crime Panel.
The role of the Panel – which is made up of councillors from each of the local authorities in the area and two independents – is to “scrutinise and support the PCC” for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Last week saw the first meeting of the Police and Crime Panel (PCP) since the election of Donna Jones (ex Conservative leader of Portsmouth council) as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
Non-political members
Two “non-political members” of the Panel are also appointed, “to add to the collective spread of experience and knowledge”.
On 2nd July, the former Isle of Wight councillor, Dave Stewart, was voted onto the Panel as one of the two “non-political members”.
Stewart: “Non-political”?
As Mr Stewart is the former leader of the Conservative group of Isle of Wight councillors, as well as being the former Conservative leader of the Isle of Wight council, several readers got in touch over the weekend.
They questioned how Dave Stewart was “non-political”.
Question for Chairman
News OnTheWight got in touch with the Chairman of the Panel, Cllr Simon Bound (Conservative, Basingstoke and Deane council), for his take on the appointment of Dave Stewart. We asked:
“Readers have pointed out to us that Dave Stewart has been co-opted on to the PCP.
“It’s undeniable that Dave Stewart has the relevant experience for the role, their confusion is how he could be selected as one of the “two non-political members of the Panel”, given he’s well known as the former Leader of the Conservative Isle of Wight Council and previously Leader of the Conservative Group of councillors on the Island.
“Any light you could cast on this would be appreciated.”
Can be co-opted as “no longer a councillor”
Cllr Bound didn’t answer directly, but forwarded our query to the Hampshire CC press office, who later the same day provided the following response:
Chairman of the Police and Crime Panel, Cllr Simon Bound, said,
“David Stewart has been appointed as an independent co-opted member, following a robust recruitment process, along with another independent co-opted member – Shirley Young.
“While Mr Stewart previously held a role as a councillor, he is no longer in that position and as such he has been able to join the panel as a co-opted member.
“I am delighted that he chose to put himself forward for this role as he brings with him a wealth of experience that will aid the Panel’s important work to support, scrutinise and challenge the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”
When does someone become “non-political”?
Looking for further clarity we asked the press office:
“Just want to clarify – So in the eyes of the PCP, someone is non-political if they aren’t currently an elected councillor, even if they have strong ties to a political party and have, within recent months, been the leader of a political group?”
They replied:
David Stewart went through an open recruitment process and was seen as a suitable appointment in terms of the knowledge and experience he could bring, as well as meeting the criteria specified in the Job advert:
To be eligible for co-option as an independent co-opted member an individual:
Must be at least 18 years old and must live or work within the Hampshire policing area, which includes the Isle of Wight (IOW).
Must not be:
- Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and IOW.
- a member of staff of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and IOW.
- a police officer/member of the civilian staff of Hampshire Constabulary.
- a Member of Parliament.
- a Member of the National Assembly for Wales.
- a Member of the Scottish Parliament.
- a Member of the European Parliament.
- a member of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, East Hampshire District Council, Eastleigh Borough Council, Fareham Borough Council, Gosport Borough Council, Hampshire County Council, Hart District Council, Havant Borough Council, Isle of Wight Council, New Forest District Council, Portsmouth City Council, Rushmoor Borough Council, Southampton City Council, Test Valley Borough Council or Winchester City Council.
Still a member of the Conservative Association?
News OnTheWight has written to Dave Stewart to ask whether he is still a member of the Island Conservatives, but he has not replied as yet.
We also asked David Pugh (Chairman of the Island Conservatives), who replied,
“For Data Protection reasons, we are not able to disclose who is or is not a member of the Conservative Party (Although it goes without saying that those who hold elected office as Conservatives are). “
We’ll update if Dave gets back to us.
View the proceedings for yourself
You can read more about committee details or the co-opted member role profile on the Hampshire County Council Website.
You can also watch the footage from the meeting via YouTube.
Article edit
7.15pm 6th Jul 2021 – Response from David Pugh added
