‘Intimidation’ and witnessing ‘pandering’ to new Reform UK representatives have been cited in a statement about why an Isle of Wight councillor of many years standing will no longer attend County Hall meetings.
Independent Socialist Cllr Geoff Brodie confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) he will not be seen in the chamber for the last six months of his tenure and said after serving for nearly 21 years his attendance record has been “exemplary”.
Formerly a Labour member for almost 35 years, he sat as a councillor for the party until 2018 when he quit, saying he had become “very isolated” from the party leadership on the Island.
In recent months, the member for Pan and Barton renewed his staunch support for the 473-home West Acre Park development, telling councillors at the end of September it would provide “118 rented affordable homes”.
He also voted against Hampshire and Solent devolution plans. In his Autumn 2025 newsletter, he said he was not opposed to the idea of devolving money to Mayor-led Combined County Authorities across England but objected to the council’s “final sign-off” of the plans including a “certain Reform UK councillor”.
Cllr Brodie has also made public criticisms of Advance UK’s recent meeting at Wootton Bridge Community Centre, describing organisations with views like Advance as “abhorrent”.
He also publicly criticised Reform UK’s Cllr Caroline Gladwin after it emerged she had been handed warning notices over the state of a flat she rented out.
Cllr Brodie’s update statement said:
“After a year battling cancer, the last thing I need now is the stress of intimidation by a certain councillor and witnessing the pandering to the new Reform councillors by others at County Hall.
“I can just as well represent residents of Pan and Barton in the last six months of my council membership by my continued activity and visibility within the community and by email and phone communications with officers.
“I will be replaced on the three committees I served on at the November full council and will only miss the last three full councils of my tenure.
“Previously my attendance at public meetings at County Hall over nearly 21 years has been exemplary and stood at 92 per cent since my last election despite my illness.”
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He slammed “the media” for “ignoring” Cllr Gladwin’s failure to publicly list her property interests “unlike every other councillor”.
However, the LDRS previously reported on Cllr Brodie’s concerns.
“How are we to know that these properties will not be impacted by the application before us tonight or before other applications she may sit and judge upon in the future,” he asked at the fractious West Acre Park planning committee meeting on 30th September.
In response to Cllr Brodie’s statement on his decision to no longer attend meetings, Cllr Gladwin said:
“No intimidation has been shown towards Cllr Brodie, in fact the intimidation has been all by Cllr Brodie towards me and other councillors.
“Likewise, the pandering has not been towards Reform UK councillors, it has been towards Cllr Brodie as it has always been.”
She said Cllr Brodie “behaved in such a disgraceful way at the full council meeting of October 1 and carried out unprovoked vicious attacks on myself, Cllr (David) Adams, the chairman, the acting monitoring officer, and Reform UK and it was significant enough that it was reported upon in the Daily Mail”.
She added:
“This was the day after his previous unprovoked attacks against me and the acting monitoring officer at the planning committee meeting.”
Cllr Gladwin said there was “no wrongdoing” on her part as regards her interests, and this had been confirmed by the acting monitoring officer.
We need reform!!!
The whole lot of you need to go. Dysfunctional is damn right.
I have a sneaking admiration for anyone who sticks to their guns and beliefs as councillor brodie has no matter how totally deluded they are,his views and outlook are that of corbyn at his worst neither of which has any place in UK politics. I wish him well for his treatment but the council will be better place without him.
Typical socialist idiot,blaming someone else,if you look up brodie in the dictionary,it says…woke,left wing idiot.
What a wonderful early Christmas present, will be like a small breath of fresh air in the chambers of power
His attendance record may have been “exemplary” (in his words), but his behaviour certainly has not!