LABOUR’S JOCK RAFFERTY’S JOURNEY FROM STEEPLEJACK TO COUNTY HALL

Meet Councillor John ‘Jock’ Rafferty, who defied the political tide in this year’s local elections to retain Cowes North for Labour.

A steeplejack, yachtsman and football referee, he has now emerged as one of Labour’s few success stories on the Island.

Jock Rafferty became the only Labour councillor on the Isle of Wight to buck the trend as Reform swept across the Island.

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As Labour struggled nationally and Reform UK surged locally, Cowes North produced one of election night’s biggest surprises as Jock held on against the political tide.

The Labour candidate secured 439 votes to retain the seat in one of the Island’s most closely fought contests, defeating independent Richard Hollis, who polled 364. Conservative candidate Siobhan Barney received 223 votes, while Reform UK’s Ian Arnold finished with 206 in a poll that drew a turnout of 44.24%.

For Jock, the victory followed weeks of relentless campaigning across the ward. He says he felt compelled to work harder than his opponents to overcome the national picture facing Labour.

“I knocked on every door and put leaflets in twice. My social media had a quarter of a million views in 28 days and 190,000 in the final week.

“I felt that I had to work harder than the rest of them given the situation nationally. The odds were stacked against me.”

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Known universally as ‘Jock’, John Rafferty hardly resembles a typical Isle of Wight councillor.

Originally from Bonnyrigg near Edinburgh and from a mining family, he began working life as a steeplejack alongside his father before building a successful business in Scotland.

As director of Steeplejack Services in Edinburgh, he was awarded Scottish Business of the Year by The Prince’s Trust. He also worked as a representative in Scotland for famed steeplejack and television personality Fred Dibnah, whose chimney demolitions and engineering programmes made him a household name across Britain.

Jock later headed south to Cowes, gained his Yachtmaster Ocean qualifications at UKSA and flew to Croatia the very next day to begin work as a yacht captain.

That decision began a life at sea which saw him sail professionally around the world and manage marinas and charter companies in the Caribbean and Mediterranean before eventually settling permanently on the Isle of Wight in 1997.

For many years he worked for Cowes Harbour Commission, managing Shepards Wharf Marina and overseeing visiting yachts, rallies and regattas before recently leaving to concentrate on his Health & Safety consultancy business.

Away from politics and boats, he is also a football referee on the Island.

Despite the increasingly hostile political climate nationally, Jock insisted the Cowes North campaign itself had remained respectful throughout.

He described independent rival Richard Hollis as “a good candidate” and believed his election rivals had shown integrity.

While ruling out any possibility of Labour forming a coalition with Reform on the Isle of Wight Council, Jock nevertheless said newly elected Reform councillors had made him feel welcome during his induction at County Hall.

His first few days as a councillor have already provided a sharp contrast to the months spent pounding pavements during the campaign.

Reflecting on his induction at County Hall, he joked that there had been “no red carpet” awaiting him.

“First trip into County Hall today to pick up my IT kit and get set up. Not the most glamorous start to life as a councillor, no red carpet, just a laptop and a lanyard, but it felt real.”

Behind the humour, however, Jock said the moment carried genuine significance after weeks spent knocking on doors across Cowes North.

“A week ago I was knocking on your doors asking for your trust. Now, the work starts to earn it.”

Among the issues he campaigned heavily on were the future of the Floating Bridge, housing, roads, schools and the cost of living.

He also believes succeeding former councillor and now Isle of Wight West MP Richard Quigley gives Cowes North a direct line into Westminster.

“I have a straight through line to the MP.”

Jock has already begun stepping into the civic side of the role too.

His first official engagement as councillor was attending the wreath-laying ceremony at the ORP Błyskawica memorial on Cowes Parade, commemorating the Polish destroyer’s defence of the town during the Second World War.

Despite the noise and hostility often found online, Jock insists the reaction he has received face-to-face since the election has been overwhelmingly positive.

He said of criticism on social media: “that doesn’t bother me”.

Instead, the new councillor says he is eager to get started and determined to represent the whole ward, regardless of how people voted.

“To everyone who voted for another candidate, I’m your councillor too. My door is open. I’ll represent the whole ward, not just the people who backed me.”

With the election campaign now behind him, Jock says his focus is firmly on delivering for the people of Cowes North.

“Cowes North, let’s get to work.”