As reported by News OnTheWight within our live coverage the Isle of Wight council have a new chair and vice chair.
Accepting the positions tonight, Cllr Geoff Brodie (Ind Lab) and Cllr Claire Critchison (Green) started their roles as chair and vice-chair of the authority tonight (Thursday) in the first meeting since the elections — and the first in-person meeting since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pandemic changed things
The powerful positions are usually decided at the annual meeting of the Isle of Wight Council in May but last year’s meeting did not go ahead due to the pandemic.
Instead, former councillors George Cameron (Con) and Shirley Smart (Island Ind)were re-elected to fill the roles in September but due to an unsuccessful re-election campaign not only lost their seats on the Isle of Wight Council but also their leadership roles.
They first took office in 2019, in the chair and vice-chair partnership but Mr Cameron was the vice-chair under former chairwoman Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox (Island Ind) in 2017 and 2018.
The Chair
The role of the chair at the full council meetings is to ensure things run smoothly and to order, controlling the chamber and councillors where necessary, a role Cllrs Brodie and Critchison will become accustomed to.
Cllr Geoff Brodie was nominated by Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox and Cllr Ian Stephens (Ind Network).
Cllr Peacey-Wilcox said Cllr Brodie knew the constitution inside and out, while Cllr Stephens said there would be no person who is fairer and understanding of the council.
Conservative Cllr Ray Redrup was nominated for the position but lost by two votes — with 20 councillors voting in favour of Cllr Brodie and 18 in favour of Cllr Redrup.
Cllr Brodie said,
“I have to say to 16 years ago when I joined the Council, I never aspired to this ever; I am quite surprised to be here. I will give it my absolute best and will be as fair as I possibly can be.”
Vice-Chair
As vice-chair Cllr Critchison, a new face to the council, beat Cllr Redrup again with 20 votes to 18.
At the election, Cllr Martin Oliver (Con) won the seat from Ms Smart in the Mountjoy and Shide ward, by 159 votes, as a gain for the Conservative party.
Ms Smart first sat on Medina Borough Council in 1989, before it became the Isle of Wight Council in 1995, through to 2005. After a 12-year gap, Ms Smart returned to the authority in 2017 where she remained until the May election.
Mr Cameron lost his seat to fellow Isle of Wight Councillor John Medland, an independent, by 49 votes after switching wards from Freshwater North to Freshwater South.
Mr Cameron had served on the Isle of Wight Council from 2005 to 2013 and once again from 2017 to the recent May elections.
Article edit
9.50am 27th May 2021 – Parties added where missing
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is part of. Read here to find about more about how that scheme works on the Island. Some alterations and additions may have been made by News OnTheWight. Ed
Image: © Isle of Wight Council
