Vix Lowthian and Cameron Palin, Co-Chairs of the Isle of Wight Green Party, have penned an open letter to Councillor Jarman and the ‘Empowering Islanders’ group, labelling their vote of no-confidence in Council leader Lora Peacey-Wilcox as ‘disruptive, distracting and dishonourable’.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the motion proposes to replace Peacey-Wilcox with the leader of the Conservative group and will be debated at the full meeting of the Isle of Wight Council tomorrow (Wednesday).
However, Palin and Lowthian, who are expected to be the Green Party parliamentary candidates for West Wight and East Wight respectively, have pointed out that in 2021 some 60% of Islanders voted for non-Conservative parties or individuals. This, they say, shows that ‘residents of the Isle of Wight do not want a Conservative-led Council’.
In the letter they urge the Empowering Islanders group to ‘stop playing games’ and withdraw their support for the vote of no-confidence in Cllr Peacey-Wilcox and ‘get back to focusing on the essential needs of Islanders during this cost-of-living crisis.
You can read the full letter below:
Dear Councillor Jarman and the ‘Empowering Islanders’ group (Cllrs Medland, Adams and Spink),
2 years ago, Islanders voted to get rid of the Conservative-led Council, which for 4 years had cut services, eroded democracy, wasted public money and left a legacy of neglect.
In 2021, over 60% of Islanders voted for change and supported non-Conservative parties or individuals – thus showing that residents of the Isle of Wight do not want a Conservative-led Council.
Article continues below this advertisement Since then, Independents and Greens – with some support from the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats – have made up the majority of Councillors and worked as an Alliance. It’s not perfect, and the Isle of Wight is still struggling with huge budget cuts made by the Conservative government, but at least decisions are made locally and Councillors are accountable to residents.
Your decision to put in a vote of non-confidence in Councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox’s leadership is disruptive, distracting and dishonourable. It will not resolve the problems for our schools, local towns and care homes to create instability through imposing a Conservative leader and administration upon us.
They will take orders from their party leaders on the mainland and not our Island community. Any councillor’s vote to support a shift to a Conservative Party leader and administration will neither be Independent nor will it ‘Empower Islanders’.
We urge you to remember who your voters are, and why they elected you back in 2021. Islanders did not vote for you so that they would get a Conservative led council.
We urge you to stop playing games, withdraw your support for this vote of non-confidence in Councillor Peacey-Wilcox, and get back to focusing on the essential needs of Islanders during this cost-of-living crisis.
Vix Lowthion and Cameron Palin
Co-Chairs, Isle of Wight Green Party
But the council is still corrupt, still being run by the tourist board who don’t give a stuff about the people who live here at all, still allow the ferry companies to charge criminal prices, still allowing massive building projects to go ahead that ruin green spaces, so the the so called Green Party are just adding to so called global warming by all the hot air they are spouting, so you two should just go back in your boxes and shhhhhh, because you are on the brown envelope list anyway.
You think they built affordable housing on the old pub that Lowthian owned? They are all hypocrites.
Champagne Socialists of the highest order….
Smoke green everyday
Quite right, Vix Lowthion sat on that property for years before selling it to the highest bidder who then built and sold 850k houses. How can she campaign for social justice and a fairer society when she behaves with the same double standards as the tories
Wightlink, Red Funnel and Hovertravel are private companies. They can charge whatever extortionate fares they can get away with, and there isn’t a damn thing anyone can do about it without a change in the law at a national level.
The only person that can effect that is the useless and self-serving Seely. He won’t because of family ties.
Have you any proof of what you say about brown envelopes. And would you like to show what you could do for the Island.
Two words to say about the Greens, but unfortunately they would be banned, so I’ll just say “Net Zero”….
Lets see how that works out for Joe Public….
Just look at Brighton council. Bankrupted by the Greens, the residents are suffering from there total mismanagement.
And Brighton looks like an abandoned, post-apocalyptic ghost town because of the no-grass cutting or weed killing policy. Stupid Greens at their stupid best.
At the end of the day, there’s a vote of no-confidence because the Alliance are no better. They had their chance to bring real change and listen to the people. They haven’t. Most Islanders don’t have confidence in any of you.
So are you going to stand for council, as you seem to know what to do??
She must have been bored while on strike from work.
All are useless.
Independent are the only persons to vote for, they care for our needs.
Tories = No Good
Labour = No Good
Lib Dems = No Good
Greens = No Good
ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE SINGING FROM THE SAME HYMN SHEETS, ALL OF THEM ARE CONTROLLED
BY THEIR SAME ELITE BOSSES
THE W.E.F
Thanks for your great insights yet again Gary. I don’t know what we would do without you. Only kidding! You are writing utter drivel as usual but it makes me laugh.
People do not like to hear the truth, so sad.
Mr Schwab will be pleased
WE DIDN’T VOTE FOR A GREEN COUNCIL EITHER – SO CLEAR OFF VIX
What do you mean,they look like archetype- culturally dessicated.Watermelon Marxists,straight from centrall casting’??
Green exterior-Red on the inside.
More self serving politicians, complaining about self serving politicians.