Experienced independent councillor Jonathan Bacon has been elected as the leader of the Isle of Wight Council tonight (Wednesday).
The Brading and St Helens representative received 28 votes at tonight’s Full Council meeting at County Hall, with 9 councillors backing Liberal Democrat rival Andrew Garratt – with 2 abstentions.
Reform UK councillor Bill Nigh has been elected as Deputy Leader.
Interestingly, Reform did not put up a candidate for the role of Leader. They were expected to put forward group leader, Councillor James Wheelan.
Not everyone is happy with Cllr Bacon’s appointment, perhaps understandably. He previously led the local authority from 2015 until January 2017 when he resigned, saying he could no longer deal with continued government austerity.
Now, nearly a decade later, he is back at the helm – just weeks after securing a solid victory in the local elections.
In the council’s last term, Cllr Bacon oversaw controversial plans to close 5 primary schools before resigning in March 2025 ahead of a vote to close primaries in Cowes and Arreton but keep open those in Brading, Ryde and Wroxall.
At the time, he accused his fellow cabinet members of an ‘unacceptable’ last minute turnaround.
Councillor Bacon is expected to attend next month’s State of the Island Debate, hosted by Island Echo and IW Observer.
Meanwhile, Councillor Ian Dore has been re-elected as the chair of the Isle of Wight Council.
After a 19 – 19 tie between the Binstead and Fishbourne independent and Reform UK challenger Tony Barry, Conservative vice-chair Vanessa Churchman’s casting vote sealed the contest in favour of the incumbent.
Cllr Barry has been elected as vice-chair.
Cllr Dore has held the role, which includes representing County Hall on ceremonial occasions and presiding over meetings of full council, since May 2025.
Cllr Dore, who was first elected to County Hall in 2021, previously served as part of the Alliance group during the council’s last term prior to the local elections.
He left the grouping in February this year, citing his responsibility to run meetings fairly and impartially and wanting impartiality to be ‘clearly visible’.
This is such bad bad news, crispy bacon, the man who is full of porky pies. Never mind if everything gets to much he will quit anyway, lets hope.
So,this pilchard was leader before,bottled it,as he couldnt take the pressure,now leader again,lets see how long he lasts this time.
We’re doomed. Bloke can’t even poach an egg
That’s a great yolk. Oops I mean joke.
Lol
Better than having a Reform Leader, even Reform know that themselves, hence not putting someone forward for the
position.
HAAAAA!!!
That’ll put the cat amongst the pitchforks!
Just another one to raise car parking fees , raise council tax and vote in themselves massive obscene pay rises all without anything to show .
Yet to see one to put the money where their months are and bring back some pride to this beautiful island
They are all as bad as each other, power goes to their
head.
At least the scheming Liberals didn’t get their way.
What a backwood step in 2017 members of the council couldn’t work with him and he resigned. He was at the time the biggest disaster to hit the island. This is really bad news for us all
after all reform’s campaigning bluster, about winning the council elections, so they could stop the boats & get Starmer out,…
& not one of them, who got elected, is willing to put their name forward to be leader…
they obviously realise their lack of competence in the job they campaigned to be elected for…
Why appoint or reward people who have failed previously?
Shame that Andrew Garratt did not get the position.
New blood needed urgently.
Having rolled about laughing at the stupidity of thick as mince duo whose comments show the intelligence of a lemming, let us take a breath and look at the statistics.
There are 39 Councillors, 19 of whom are members of Reform.
That means they are 1 seat short of a majority.
The thick as mince “group of 2” suggest that, as the largest Party, Reform should BE EXPECTED to put up a candidate for Leader.
Ask yourself “Why would they do that?”
To get beaten at every vote, with the Greens and Tories (all four of them) and the 4 Lib Dems dancing in the streets?
Again why would Reform do that?
Best case scenario for Reform is to “back” someone like Streaky for Leader (where else did the 19 votes out of the 28 go you should ask), who has previous “form” as a loser and is almost guaranteed to feck it up!
A few weeks at most, I suspect that at least one, maybe more of the 11 so called “Independents” will have had enough of Streaky and will make overtures to Reform handing over the reins to my old chum Bill Nigh who will do a great job, especially with top bloke Ian Dore to help him.
Or they could take the advice of EiE and wightlink and make fools of themselves.
Yeah – right!
so, as you suggested, I asked myself “Why would they do that?”
and got a very quick reply “because all 19 of them know that they, and each other, are no-where near capable of doing that job…
Why else would the elected members of a party, that doesn’t quite have majority, NOT want to be leader…
it’s almost as if they don’t really want to do the job they were elected to do, after all
perhaps they’re just in it for an easy allowance & not having to do much..& wouldn’t want the work that goes with being leader….
You should stop talking to yourself as you will have an intelligent conversation.
You should stop talking to yourself as you will never have an intelligent conversation.
No surprise to see the bacon nose diving into the trough, the island had a chance to rid itself of these self serving clowns but didn’t take the opportunity