The now-former leader of the Isle of Wight Council, Dave Stewart, has lost his seat in the Chale, Niton and Shorwell ward meaning he is no longer part of the Isle of Wight Council.
Even if the Conservatives maintain control of County Hall it won’t be Stewart at the helm – a position he has held since 2017. He has been a councillor since 2010.
Green’s Claire Critchison has provisionally secured the seat, although the official declaration is yet to be made. The count is taking an extremely long time compared to normal due to the coronavirus restrictions. In addition, 25 postal votes were put in the wrong ward box.
This evening’s news gives a strong indication of how voters have changed their opinion since the last local elections, which saw Stewart gain more than double the number of votes that Green’s Critchison did.
Stewart has led the Council through the coronavirus pandemic and is the Island’s representative on the new Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire Authority, which only came into being last month. He has also taken the brunt of a lot of the finger pointing surrounding the Cowes Floating Bridge, even though that was ordered under the previous administration.
Speaking after he found out, Dave told the Island’s Local Democracy Reporter, Louise Hill:
“It is disappointing — having worked for the election to get a team together that can, and will hopefully still run the council and lead the team through the next four years.
“But it is not to be, the electorate has the final say and we should all remember that.
Article continues below this advertisement “I am disappointed, I will say well done to my opposite number and she can carry on doing the local job, which is good, and I can find other things to do with my time.
“I have done 31 years in the police and I have done something like 11/12 years in public service generally, so there is always an opportunity for change but I will be taking things steady.
“I feel grateful to the Island to give me the chance to lead the Isle of Wight council and I have been very proud to do that and grateful to the Conservative party to lead the conservative group and then we all move on.”
It’s all change at the top… but it remains to be seen if Conservatives will lose their dominant control of County Hall. If they do maintain the majority then it’s unclear, at this stage, who the next leader will be.
Claire Critchison is a 6th generation descendant, having lived in Chale and Niton all of her life and have brought her family up in the 2 villages. She is passionate about the South Wight of the Island and volunteers for a range of local clubs, projects, charities and community groups including being a Girlguiding Leader of the 1st Niton Rainbows and Brownies and Chair of the fundraising committee for Niton Primary School (FONS).
UPDATE @ 20:01 – It has been announced that Claire Critchinson (Green) secured a total of 876 votes, with Dave Stewart (Conservative) receiving 636.
The turnout was fairly high at 50.37%.
Find out who your local councillor is, how and where to vote and the results of previous elections at www.isleofwight.vote - the Island's new hub for all things related to Local and General Elections, brought to you by Island Echo.
Great news he is out, lets hope he stays out. Better still beaten by a Green Party candidate, lets hope the rest goes with hom.
Essentially Dave Stewart failed to address the issue of lazy inept permanent staff within the IOW council who essentially dictate and govern local requirements. These staff are well paid yet fail within their duty to provide valuable support to our local communities and town council’s with an air of “I know what’s best for the Island” Well wake up and listen our residents or take early retirement and bugger off.
Good luck to all the newly elected councillors.
Best news I’ve heard all week.
Yep, I agree. Best news of the week and Green is Good for the Island!
Green will never be good. Just a bunch of idealistic idiots who spout incorrect garbage.
That’s great news , the last straw was blaming Islanders for the Christmas rise in infections.
Good!!!! Let’s hope Ian Ward follows!!!!
If rumour has it… he has…
Yabba dabba do! Best thing to happen here for a long time, Lets hope a change at the top brings a better Council, and better prospects all round, here’s hoping! Fingers very firmly crossed.
Great news, at last Pugwash is set adrift.
The best news of the day, could only be made better if the other half of the dumb duo was booted as well.
A truly unpleasant person, cutting services yet ensuring we all pay ever more in council tax, whilst they live away from the ruination and destruction of the Islands beautiful countryside.
Now we need a few others gone, too many have private business where council polices are swayed to their favours rather than those of the real Islanders paying for these suspect people.
I agree, what with Seely and the “lockdown sausage fiasco” let’s hope all the tories get beaten out of it….. especially those that organise “lockdown birthday parties” and “encourage the putting down of people who raise petitions against things the local council want but the people do not….. and by putting down I mean culling…. Yes it’s true. Bolt guns against the people. CW.
Do you really think whoever replaces him will stop the cuts, and reduce council tax? If so, I think you’ve got a shock coming!
Let’s get the champagne out and have a party…!! Yes, the best news for a very long time. He’s gone. Few others should hopefully follow him out the door. Useless!!
Thank goodness the three worst leaders we have ever had Pugh, Stewart and Bacon all gone.
The future looks good.
Actually, Bacon has won the seat stood for, unfortunately.
Just seen the turnout 37% disgusting. It just shows that people on the island actually do not actually care about the future of the island
Bye,bye ,let’s hope many more Tories will follow ,best news ever !!!
Bad news Bacon is back in the council
That’s good now we have sausage our beloved MP & bacon all we need now is egg!
Pugh has an egg head, does that count?
Great news Don’t let the door hit you on the way out haha
Brilliant he’s gone, with the new leadership will the bike races go ahead, its rather close to home ward wise and environment wise now?
While not many people will mourn him losing his seat, a total turnout of just 36% of the island population bothering to vote shows just how disaffected people are with politicians, and rightly so. Not sure why anyone would want to vote for the tree huggers though, they are hardly credible when they state, wrongly, that reducing vehicle speed limits would reduce pollution when it would actually have the opposite effect. They simply don’t know what they are talking about.
All good things come to an end 31years in the police, 10 years on council all at the tax payers expense plus a dam good pension also paid for by the tax payer
Oh dear.. just when Stewart & co had arranged to give themselves a fleet of brand new electric cars. Guess he’ll be sticking with fossil fuels for now then!
Why don’t they use the Beryl cycles then? Happy for the rest of workers to risk their lives and appalling weather and traffic to use them.
Shows them for what they really are. Don’t do as I do, do as I say types.
YESSSS!!! Good riddance
Lets hope they get rid of some of the other council muppets
Wow. Well done the voters. At last.!!
As Bob Dylan sang years ago ‘for the times they are a changing’. Well done Daryl Pitcher in Wootton Bridge. Very well done. You deserve your victory for your commitment.
Whoop whoop Party ….
Best news ever ….
If he is looking for a job perhaps they could find him something to do on the (non) floating bridge !!!!!
Perhaps he could put a tow rope on it and pull it back and forth ….
will it be accountable for wasting taxpayers money on f b 6
Good bye dodgy Dave!!! Him and his idiot party and to those who vote Tory need a reality check. Just a shame the idiots in central rural have voted the scum in.
Let that be a lesson to all conservatives who are deluded enough to think that the people will put up with their *hit on a permanent basis. Stewart and others like him represent everything that’s wrong with British politics. Well done to everyone who voted to get rid of him.
This is my first and very last post that I will ever comment on. Do you all know why? Because I have better things to do in my life than look at all of you lot sitting behind your keyboards, acting all big and tough having a go at a fella that has just lost his seat. I’m sure he tried his best, and seemed to be very gracious in defeat. He gave his time up for these areas on your Island to try and make them better for the residents, like the new lady will no doubt try and do. I bet none of you would have the balls to say any of this to his face? Get a life the lot of you. Do something useful in life. It’s easy to be hard in your homes.
What an absolute plonker !
Is that you Dave? LoL
Mike, is your real name Dave by any chance?
This is my 1st and last post too, I can confirm he made many sacrifices and worked tirelessly for the good of the Island he loves, all you people making irrelevant remarks, none of you would have the courage to even try or be able to do the ‘job’ – try and be kind
Gave his time, which he was payed for, and if that was him trying his best it’s a relief he’s gone.
If I ever met Dave Stewart I’d love to say it all to his face. He doesn’t scare me at all. But he will sell up and move away now. He didn’t care about the real Islanders at all.
Dont you worry fella, I’d say anything I felt appropriate to any body,
And to you I say, get your tongue out of that mans arse, its disgusting.
Don’t be fooled by the Greens who want to take us back to the days of the horse and cart. They want to take our cars away, stop us taking holidays a bunch of dangerous people if they ever got majority power in our island
At last, Inspector Clouseau is out!
About time there was a change.
He could be the 1st captain on the floating bridge, a job with flexiable hour of work.
Plus not much to do when broken down.
Great news maybe out Council Tax might fall to an affordable level but not holding my breath on that one!
There will be drinkies in the Lodge for Mr Matthew Price no doubt
Well done Josh Lake a workin man getin on the counsill at bembridge just wot the docter ordered.
neads a good shake up and normall peepal in charg.
x
nice won Josh you dun well to beet the toffs in bembridge. now get are rent lowered!
The worst person in county hall is Pugh, as he bullies the conservative councillors & messed the island up years ago when he was leader
I bet he has a secret button at home which opens all the poo sluice gates around Wight. Like a defeated Bond villain his last act in power was to turn our beautiful beaches into ‘brownfield sites’. The dirty beggar!