An independent review has branded the Isle of Wight Council as dysfunctional, warning of a toxic culture, poor behaviour, and failing structures that could lead to government intervention if urgent reforms are not made.
The damning 31-page report by governance expert Richard Penn highlights widespread concerns about member conduct, broken officer relationships, weak enforcement of standards, and the failure of the council’s committee system.
Penn found that a small but vocal group of councillors have created a hostile environment at County Hall, where behaviour goes unchallenged and staff morale has been seriously undermined. Councillors have openly criticised officers in meetings, on social media, and in the press.
The report states:
“There are problems currently with the operation of the member/officer interface. Officers are sometimes reluctant to attend meetings with elected members for fear that they will be ridiculed or criticised in public.”
The report captures the depth of dysfunction through a series of candid remarks. One senior officer described “abhorrent behaviour to others and each other” during council meetings, while a councillor observed that “every skirmish becomes a battle”. Another noted that “officers are stated as not being competent by people who do not get their own way”, with one member bluntly admitting, “If I were an officer I would have left.”
Reflecting on the breakdown in trust, a councillor said: “There appears to be a silent and hidden barrier between officers and councillors”.
The Council’s ‘Working From Home’ policy was also cited as exacerbating problems. One councillor remarked: “County Hall on Fridays is like the Marie Celeste.”
The report warns that the political structure itself is not functioning. The committee system introduced in May 2025 is described as ineffective, lacking clear direction and failing to deliver intended benefits.
Other serious findings include:
- Deep mistrust between councillors and senior officers
- Disregard for professional legal and financial advice
- Delays in implementing agreed Council decisions
- No formal Standards Committee to address misconduct
- A long-term absence in the Monitoring Officer role
- Concerns over the part-time status of the s151 finance officer
Penn makes clear that poor member behaviour is a symptom of wider dysfunction, not the root cause. He said:
“The reality is that the Council is dysfunctional and has been for several years. Things have to change fundamentally, and change quickly, if the potential for formal intervention is to be successfully avoided.”
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If the Council fails to improve, the Government could impose Commissioners, initiate a Best Value inspection, or remove local decision-making powers entirely.
Urgent recommendations include:
- Creating a Standards Committee with enforcement powers
- Strengthening statutory governance roles
- Enforcing codes of conduct at meetings and online
- Improving member induction, training and support
- Rebuilding trust and respect between councillors and officers
- Reviewing the effectiveness of the committee system itself
In a rare joint statement, Councillor Phil Jordan (Leader of the Council and Alliance Group), Councillor Ed Blake (Conservative Group Leader), and Councillor Andrew Garratt (Deputy Leader of the Council and Liberal Democrat Group Leader) welcomed the report and committed to urgent reform.
They’ve said:
“The report published today, written by independent consultant Richard Penn, describes the Isle of Wight Council as “dysfunctional” and in urgent need of changes. The report highlights a series of issues, including a culture of disrespect, hostility, and deflection that has taken hold among a small but vocal number of councillors whose actions have helped to erode confidence. This has distracted from the essential work of running the local services the council must deliver as well as damaging the authority’s reputation, both locally and further afield. The report also identifies faults with the officer system, as well as weaknesses in relationships between councillors and officers. It calls for stronger leadership, mutual respect, and a renewed focus on collaboration and accountability.
“The Council is held in low esteem by many and a report like this does nothing to reverse such views
“Yet the Council is an important element of the Island and responsible for many key functions (education, waste, care etc) so a verdict that it is “dysfunctional” is of serious concern and clearly indicates that action to change is both necessary and urgent.
“We need to be trusted and supported by the community. We are pragmatic and know this will never be the view of all, but we must deal with anything that clearly undermines the ability to hold such a view. There must be no attempt by anyone to deflect blame elsewhere. All those who are part of County Hall, whether councillor or officer, must take heed of what is an incredibly powerful, and sobering message.
“As Group Leaders, we accept the report and will be supporting the recommendations that are contained therein. We call on the other groups and Councillors in County Hall to make the same commitment.
“We are glad that the report has been produced and that the issues it addresses are recognised and highlighted. We are glad to see that concerns many of us have had for some time, have been clearly identified. We do not seek to provide excuses for the findings or to pass the buck for those issues that are directed at us as members. Those that may contest the findings of the report, or who seek to sidestep it, would be identifying themselves as part of the problem. We must accept the existence of the problems, or they will never be solved; It is abundantly clear, there are problems.
“It is imperative that we do this as the risks of failing to do so are crystal clear. We have already received a ‘warning letter’ from Government, expressing concern about member behaviour. The report makes it clear that continued failures on our part, could lead to explicit Government intervention. That must be of even greater concern when Local Government Reorganisation is a live issue. Failure to deal with the issues in Mr Penn’s report, will put the very existence of the Council at risk.
“Together, as the leaders of the largest groups in the Council, we will work to ensure that the Council operates properly. Only then can it do the job it is there for, which is to serve the residents, businesses and the community of the Island. Where problems undermine the desire or ability to do that, they must be dealt with, whether those issues are behavioural or organisational. To address this, a key recommendation in the report is the creation of a Standards Committee which we wholeheartedly support. This is the moment at which we must ‘reset’ the Council. Accepting the recommendations in Mr Penn’s report is a first step in a long road to addressing how we operate. Failure to do so, could well be a step on what currently seems a short path to the loss of Island-based democracy”.
‘Staff morale’ is mentioned – what about our morale? We pay those people’s wages and they give a level of service to us which is far short of any other council I have lived under – here in the UK and abroad. I feel little more than contempt for their efforts.
The council has turned the island into a rotten island not just a rotten borough
They are all a disgrace.
School pupils act better than this lot. And to think our taxes pay for the childish behaviour
It is time that the entire current councillors are removed and replaced with competent ones, the likes of Bacon, Brodie, Love, Jordan and Ward are a disgrace and no longer fit to represent the public or our island
Doesn’t surprise me at all, where else in the country
do they allow vehicles to park on Pavements,
Double Yellow Lines , Zig Zags etc.
Check out Cross Street in Ryde
G4 Van parks outside Nationwide Building Society
on pavement / Zig Zags blocking pedestrian
walkway and blocking pedestrians,vision when crossing the
road.
SHOCKING! WHAT IF SOMEONE GETS RUN OVER
————————————————————————————————
Not to mention there are NO speed cameras on the island.
There are NO rules on the Island
“SPEEDING IS RIFE”
“The island needs mainland intervention”
“An independent review has branded the Isle of Wight Council as dysfunctional, warning of a toxic culture, poor behaviour, and failing structures that could lead to government intervention if urgent reforms are not made.”
Are we surprised?
NO!
what a surprise, a bunch of self appointed demi gods, jockeying for position, when in reality they are a cabal of inept individuals that only really agree on claiming meeting expenses and puffing their chests about how important they think they are
“circle the wagons!!”.. The response from the three musketeers is so expected and full of the same old ,’changes need to be made’, and how pleased they are that the report highlights the issues.. They forget to mention that they are a part of the issues, that if they knew of these massive failings, then where are the remedial policies to correct them?. In the 27 years I have lived here we have never had a coherent council, or Parliamentary representation, and the chaos we endure is a direct result. Those who have been in a position of control, or power, in these past 20 years must look to their actions and perhaps leave as they are obviously a large part of our woes. Every 4-5 years we hear the same rubbish from our elected councillors, “we will form an independent council” etc, only to drift into a split and battling bunch of individuals who fail the electorate every-time they speak, with a couple of notable exceptions! This year we seem to have a few Councillors who, at present, are doing a respectable job, but can they keep going for the next few years? Past history would suggest otherwise.
When it comes to the massive debacles of the last few years the Officers MUST take some responsibility, they fight back against any negative or contrary suggestions from Councillors, they push through ridiculous plans (chain link, selling services off et al), they spit the dummy out when our elected representatives complain, or try to modify them, then we end up with millions wasted every time. HOW does it take months and months to clear a few rocks from the road? HOW do we end up with the wrong chain link costing US millions and we never find out who was to blame?
Personally I would allow the government to enforce change, but with Starmers mob they would probably turn every field into solar farms and every hotel a migrant home.
Maybe our hopeless government shouldn’t have cancelled the local elections? This council is not fit to govern.
Looks like it’s going to be cancelled again next year
They are all the same, majority of Government
organisations don’t have a clue.
I believe that this is Liebours intention from the beginning. To run each Council to the ground so that they can justify the central government taking complete control.
In essence, it introduces a Communist leadership that dictates what we can or cannot do. Furthermore, without local leadership representing locals, the central government will be able to enforce things Caulkheads don’t want or haven’t agreed to.
It won’t be long before the Island sees Mosques in every town and with Sharia courts. There are many towns across the United Kingdom where Councils are run by Liebour, with Muslim clerics at the head. Many of these towns and cities have Sharia law courts.
Visit London and you will see it is a shit hole. English is no longer the first language, with public buildings and networks plastered in Arabic.
Whatever happened to the Nolan Principles? Come on guys, the Island expects and deserves so much better.
Is anybody surprised. NO!
‘DYSFUNCTIONAL’ council, being taken over by a ‘DYSFUNCTIONAL’government, what will be the difference, NONE!!
With Jordan in charge, he is the rot, that needs digging and replaced.
It would be a great benefit to all islanders if government inspectors came in to run the council, they would undoubetedly uncover maladministration, financial mismangement bordering on corruption and incompetant behaviour surrounding many, many deals struck by the councillors.
And to back up what you are saying, those of us who don’t follow politics only need to look around at our beautiful island to see the criminal neglect, apathy and poor decisions and wonder whether it’s down to stupidity or corruption. Wouldn’t it be nice to find out?
Very well said. I’d love them to be taken over by mainlanders who actually know how to behave.
It’s harder for them to hide all our money in their back pockets if there’s people paying attention though.
Can you please provide a link to the report?
https://iow.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s20141/Item%206a%20-%20Appendix%201%20-%20Report%20for%20Isle%20of%20Wight%20Council.pdf
Get rid of the Lot and we`ll be run from the Mainland !!
Council fails to deliver, water is wet
But it’s indicative of the IOW culture in general, insular, backward-looking, resistant to ideas and change. Pitchforks at the ready should anyone suggest anything sensible, or challenge the ideology.
‘But oi can drive a TRA’TOR…’
Unfortunately this is not “News”. It has been clear for a number of years what has been going on. The real problem is they cannot recognise they are actually the “Problem”, They have allowed the situation to develop and continue through their own behaviour. Shambles. Totally disrespecting of the public, and what they are elected to do. Just look at Floating Bridge fiasco as one example. Mainland Governance is coming and it is their fault.
Perhaps things wouldn’t have got so bad if the government hadn’t allowed the council to postpone the election that should have happened last year. Democratic accountability is essential or democracy ceases to exist.