Last week Isle of Wight council Group Leaders were informed that all future Group Leaders’ meetings – something introduced by the Island Independents when they were in power – have been cancelled.
It’s a move that has mystified opposition Group Leaders, who have been used to meeting monthly for the last four years to share information that may assist in running the council.
Baker-Smith: “Contrary to the spirit of cross-party working”
The unilateral decision made by the Leader of the Isle of Wight council, Dave Stewart, has drawn criticism from many quarters.
Cllr Stewart later responded.
The Leader of the Island Independent group of councillors, Julia Baker-Smith, said it was “somewhat contrary to the spirit of cross-party working” which the new administration “claims to now champion after four years of insisting” their role was solely to “hold the administration to account”.
Cllr Baker-Smith told OnTheWight this morning,
“I was quietly hopeful about the Conservative group’s newly found, publically held, approach to cross party working they now appear to have developed at the end of this four year term.
“I was therefore very surprised and disappointed to receive notification of the cancellation of the strategy and communication leaders meetings (in addition to the cancellation of a number of select committees).
“I have written to Cllr Stewart requesting the meetings be reinstated and he has offered to meet with me privately. I very much hope that can be extended to all group leaders to ensure truly constructive cross party working in the best interests of Islanders. There have been too many petty squabbles, it’s time to get back to work.”
Lumley: “Hypocrisy and inconsistency”
Lead Labour councillor Geoff Lumley said,
“We were all a little puzzled when we received the email cancelling all future meetings given what the new administration has been saying about wanting cross party working.
“One of the other group leaders sought clarification, but so far to no avail. Personally I had anticipated such a move because one thing you can always be sure of from some of the leading lights of this new administration is hypocrisy and inconsistency.
“Cancelling the meetings will just lead to greater division at County Hall. That is just about the last thing we need at present. ”
Cllr Stewart responds
Later Dave Stewart told OnTheWight he, “put this down to a break down in communication.”
He went on to say he had spoken to the council’s Chief Executive, John Metcalfe, who had offered to host a meeting with the leaders of the other groups in place of the previous meeting.
When asked how often the meetings would be, Cllr Stewart said the timings would be up to the CX – he went on to say that he felt the CX meetings would be politically neutral.
Update: 21:10 Added response from Dave Stewart he had given to us at around 5pm
Image: truthdevelopment under CC BY 2.0
