Insults and accusations of bullying and threats have been thrown around the Isle of Wight Council’s chamber by councillors in full view of the public.
Tensions between 3 councillors reached boiling point over the last few days, with one calling another a ‘fascist pig’ and labelling Reform UK as ‘racist’.
The dispute between councillors Geoff Brodie (Independent Socialist), Caroline Gladwin (ABC group Reform UK) and David Adams (ABC group independent) was first aired at the planning committee meeting on Tuesday (30th September).
It then escalated into a confrontation on Wednesday night (1st October), leading to chair Ian Dore crashing down his gavel and suspending the full council meeting on Hampshire and Solent devolution.
Prior to Tuesday’s debate and vote on the 473-home West Acre Park development, Cllr Brodie said:
“I’d just like to raise the issue of Cllr Gladwin at this meeting.”
Cllr Gladwin began to interrupt him, saying the matter had “nothing to do with the meeting in hand”.
Cllr Brodie continued:
“Cllr Gladwin has, like a lot of members of this council, a number of rental properties.
“Every member of this council, other than her, declares them on their members’ declaration of interest, available on the (council) website.
“Cllr Gladwin since she was elected has not declared those interests.”
The Reform UK councillor cut in and the meeting began to enter into disarray:
“This has no relevance to this meeting. And this is typical of Cllr Brodie who is harassing and bullying me regarding this – I am under threat.
“If I have any conflicts of interest I will declare them, and I do not need to be policed by Cllr Brodie and I think it’s outrageous that I’m expected to be subjected to this in this meeting.”
She added the issue was a “police matter” to which Cllr Brodie responded: “report it to the police”.
Conservative planning committee chair Warren Drew said:
“There is a function and a requirement by which all councillors make a declaration of their pecuniary interests, including their property interests.
“You can get a dispensation where you are potentially, amongst other reasons, in fear of harassment or intimidation, at which point the monitoring officer will make a determination which he has done here.
“He’s accepted the point that Cllr Gladwin has made regarding why it should be kept from the public and he also has made a ruling, saying he has seen and considered the matter.
“He doesn’t feel that it’s in conflict with the application (West Acre Park).”
Monitoring officer Francis Fernandez said:
“There are two aspects to this – one is declaring the interests to the monitoring officer and the other aspect to this is publishing it on the public register.
“Cllr Gladwin has declared her rental properties to the monitoring officer and those interests haven’t been put on the public register because there’s an issue about sensitivity.”
Cllr Brodie said members of the public and the planning committee were not being allowed to know “why we should rely on his (Mr Fernandez’s) word”. He added:
“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”.
Later in the evening, a distressed Cllr Gladwin was escorted out of the meeting by councillors Debbie Andre and Claire Critchison before later returning to the chamber.
After the meeting, Cllr Brodie gave the Local Democracy Reporting Service a memorandum protesting ‘the failure of Reform UK councillor Caroline Gladwin to declare her rental properties with her published Declaration of Interests’.
It also protested the monitoring officers’ ‘seeming unwillingness to press your own expectation that she should do so’.
The document sent to County Hall’s monitoring officers was signed by councillors Brodie, Mosdell, Blake, Churchman, Ward, Brading, Price, Beston, Cameron, Oliver, Nicholson, Drew, Ray Redrup, Bacon, Spink, Jarman, Love and Quirk.
It said:
“We the undersigned formally request that you remove our own Declaration of Interests forthwith and substitute this statement”.
At yesterday’s full council meeting at the tail end of the devolution debate, hostilities returned.
Cllr Brodie objected to Cllr Gladwin being included in high level devolution discussion with County Hall’s chief executive and other group leaders, as agreed at the start of the meeting.
He said:
“I…would warn every member of this council who believes in democracy that you maybe think this is the biggest challenge to you as a councillor but the biggest challenge isn’t this, it’s Reform UK.
“You are putting the leader of the ABC group (Cllr Gladwin) in this group of five, a threat to democracy…Reform UK a racist organisation.”
Chair Ian Dore interjected, saying:
“Cllr Brodie, that’s enough…we’re not having this tonight.”
Shouting then ensued, leading to the meeting being adjourned for a while.
Cllr Brodie called Cllr Adams a fascist pig, accusing him of making threats across the room at him.
Cllr Brodie said:
“Why do you think we’ve got a security guard in here tonight because he makes threats to me on a constant basis.”
Cllr Adams responded:
“I’m leaving the meeting…we’ve got someone here who is so out of order – he has no evidence.
“Geoff – look at the complaints that have come in over the years, I’ll think you’ll see far more towards you than against me.”
The meeting later reconvened after a break.
The meeting was recorded and will be uploaded to YouTube by the IW Council. Find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@isleofwightcouncilmeetings9231.
It’s no wonder there is unnesseccary trouble in the world
when such persons are behaving like u educated children
calling each other names.
Time to grow up, stop acting your shoe size and
act your age.
Numpties!
I may not always agree with his choice of words, but the sentiment is sound and the content accurate, except that maybe it’s fairer to say ‘Reform UK is a xenophobic organisation’. Close call, mind. (Well done Geoff!)
As for CG’s conflict of interest and non-disclosure…no-one is surprised. Pretty sure it’s probably written into their constitution. Si fecisti nega, so to speak.
ooooo, hurty words, in public and recorded, wonder if he’ll be arrested for it?
About time Brodie called Time on his very long “career”. He has become a parody of his former self.
It’s great to hear the dirty washing aired in public at least we know what’s going on its the same smell as every where else
I think this demonstrates the urgent need for the expansion of the demographic to cross solent, and away from a disfunctional island family.
Brodie or is it lumley?
The man, if it is one, is no more than a thug, typical leftist moron.
As would be his following.
This bully of a man is useless
I’ll be voting reform as will many others.
And to think we all are bullied into paying the racket called council tax to this bunch of cretins.
Well said pops.
what else do you expect from brodie, always has been a loud mouthed egotistical bully
These so called adults are the one running our island, all have their vested interests and side hustles which allegedly for senstive reasons never come to light, is it any wonder that we have no faith in you.
You need to check out what is on these peoples wrists. Could it be the old “three handed watch”, a big hand, a small hand and a “back hand”.