What was supposed to be a grand farewell to a long-serving and dedicated Town Clerk left the audience of 100 invited local guests open-mouthed in surprise as he announced his actual reasons for leaving were not a retirement, as the Town Council had put on the event’s invitations.
Geoff Davies, a former Naval officer and Justice of the Peace (JP), had held the post of Town Clerk for East Cowes Town Council for the last eleven and a half years.
Guests gathered at East Cowes Town Hall for a celebratory meal, to bid Mr Davies farewell and thank him for his service. VB understands that all East Cowes town councillors were present, including county councillors, Edward Giles and Margaret Webster.
I’m resigning, not retiring
VB have been told by several sources that, at the end of the meal, after each councillor made a complimentary speech to Mr Davies, the mayor, Jane Rann, presented him with a vase that had been engraved with all their names. His wife was presented with a floral bouquet.
The response that followed from Mr Davies was unexpected and a shock to those remaining in the room.
Most people believed they were attending a retirement party, but very calmly, Mr Davies advised guests the reason for his departure was not due to retirement, but that he had in fact resigned.
The people who have spoken to VB about it said they felt the resignation was due to the actions of Cllr Margaret Webster.
Have your cake and eat it
He concluded by saying that as he was resigning, not retiring, he could not accept the parting gifts. This included a cake home-baked by Cllr Margaret Webster.
His closing remarks were, that when he finished talking, he and his wife Hilary would not be spending any more of their evening there.
Be careful who you vote for
However, just before they left, he gave a parting message along the lines of, give careful thought before you cast your votes next year.
Although he didn’t name the person explicitly, VB has been told that he alluded to those who were already on the East Cowes town council and were female and a county councillor.
There is, of course, only one female county councillor in East Cowes. That is Margaret Webster.
“A great loss to East Cowes”
According to our sources, the room emptied within 15 minutes, despite the mayor urging guests to remain.
One of our sources said that his departure from East Cowes would be a huge loss to the town.
Full text of the resignation letter
Here’s the text of Geoff Davies’ resignation letter dated 6 June:
I have been the Town Clerk eleven and a half years and have served you well. However, during the last four months, I have been aware that my advice and integrity has been brought into question.
On occasions Members have sought advice from officers within County Hall unaware that Officers should not, and do not, have the authority to offer advice to Town Councillors.
Also on a recent Isle of Wight investigation my professional ability was questioned.
I am not prepared to be employed under these conditions, therefore I offer my resignation.
My last working day will be the 31 July.
The invitations to the party, stating that it was a retirement party were distributed after the Town Council received this letter.
Image: zuixro under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license
