In the latest twist and turn at County Hall, news reaches News OnTheWight that there’s a move to put the Conservatives in power.
An email leaked to News OnTheWight makes clear that members of the new Empowering Islanders group will be siding with the Conservatives in a vote of no confidence against leader of the Isle of Wight council, Lora Peacey-Wilcox.
Replace with Cllr Joe Robertson
The email reveals one of the Empowering Islanders group stating that he has added his name to a resolution to remove Cllr Peacey-Wilcox as Leader and replace her with Cllr Joe Robertson, leader of the Isle of Wight Conservative Group.
The councillor told the leader that she’d “done a superb job up to last Friday in turning six factions into a united administration”.
Vote of No Confidence
Cllr Joe Robertson told News OnTheWight that a Vote of No Confidence would ordinarily be debated at the next Full Council meeting (in this case 19th July), unless a request for an extraordinary meeting is requested, in which case the Chair of the council (Alliance member Cllr Claire Critchison) should call a meeting within seven days (call a meeting not necessarily hold a meeting).
Cllr Robertson added that nothing had been submitted to the Chair, but that cross-party conversations were taking place.
Defecting
Four Alliance members left the group earlier this month: Cllr Michael Lilley to join the Liberal Democrats, and Cllrs Chris Jarman, John Medland and Dave Adams to join ‘Independent Conservative‘ Peter Spink in the Empowering Islanders Group.
Cabinet dispute
Cllr Jarman, who has been the Cabinet member in charge of finances at the council for the last two years claims that he was removed by Cllr Peacey-Wilcox.
The Alliance Group say that he was told several times in the presence of at least 14 other Alliance members that if he left the group, he would be giving up his role on the Cabinet.
News OnTheWight has written to several parties involved for comment and will update once we hear back.
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