By Carole Dennett
In a landmark decision on Wednesday evening, the Isle of Wight Council elected Cllr Karl Love as its new chairman. Cllr Love is the first person to hold the role who is in a same-sex relationship. He also suffers from dyslexia and believes his election represents a leap forward for inclusion and diversity within the council.
The Tories and EI members have been ‘secretly’ working together to try to take control of the council. Their seeming inability to keep their plotting private has proved to be their downfall, as this time it was widely known that, if they won the chairmanship, they planned to stage another vote of no confidence in the council leadership when, given the tight mathematics of the council make-up, the casting vote of the chairman could prove crucial.
The unavoidable absence of Cllr Geoff Lumley from the early part of the meeting added an extra layer of suspense to the proceedings. The Independent Labour representative was expected to oppose anything that could give the Tories a whiff of power.
When Cllr David Adams, who recently left the EI Group, voted against his former leader, the game was up, and Cllrs Jarman and Love found themselves locked in a 19-19 tie. Although it is largely a ceremonial role, the power of the chairman’s casting vote was underscored when the outgoing chairman, Cllr Claire Critchison, cast the decisive vote, tipping the scales in favour of Cllr Love.
This appears to be the last throw of the dice, for the Tories and EI Group, to fulfil their ambitions to take control before all councillors face the electorate next year – but this being the Isle of Wight Council anything could happen!
In his first act after being elected, Love extended a hand to his opponent, Cllr Jarman. Visibly moved, Cllr Love then paid homage to the hard work of his predecessor, committing to serve the council to the best of his ability.
Cllr Vanessa Churchman succeeded in the vote for vice-chairman, allowing the council to proceed with its agenda for the evening.
The session also provided a moment to reflect on the contribution of Cllr Critchison, who presented a cheque for over £1,800 to South Wight Area Youth, a charity supporting local youth and families, fulfilling one of her key objectives during her tenure as chairman.