An Isle of Wight parish council is in turmoil after the shock resignation of its clerk.
Shalfleet Parish Council’s Tina Bailey quit amid a row with councillors Steve and Thomas Cowley who say she was ‘illegitimately’ in the job.
The announcement follows months of strife within the council, including a walkout and decisions not to attend meetings by councillors Jonathan Hill, Jackie Laurie, Jane Timbrell and Chris Beane.
The 4 councillors previously blamed their walkout and absence on an ‘untenable environment’ caused by ‘inappropriate’ and ‘unacceptable’ behaviour from the Cowleys.
Ms Bailey cited the conduct of the Cowleys and a ‘toxic unworkable environment’ as reasons for her resignation. She said the decision was to ‘safeguard’ her health and wellbeing, according to a letter sent to Shalfleet parish councillors.
Ms Bailey added she would not be involved in ‘any recruitment process’ due to the council being ‘rendered unfit’ to offer employment to any individual.
With one month’s notice, her last day in the job will be Thursday, 20th February. The Cowley’s both deny poor conduct towards Ms Bailey.
Council chair Steve Cowley accused Ms Bailey of ‘bad behaviour’ in response to the resignation. He said:
“Tina was illegitimately reemployed by the ‘new’ councillors in October. I have not spoken to her since she walked out of a meeting in November.
“Tina refused to attend the last 2 meetings. The new councillors also failed to attend.”
Councillor Steve Cowley has called an ‘extraordinary’ meeting for this Wednesday to ‘catch up’ on some unaddressed issues and hear Ian Boyd, director of the Arc Biodiversity & Climate consultancy, speak about the Isle of Wight Council’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
It is understood councillors Hill and Timbrell will not be attending.
Councillor Hill said:
“I will not be attending any meetings involving Shalfleet Parish Council until the scheduled meeting on 12th February.
“There is nothing on the agenda that is urgent and all matters can be put or re-put on the agenda for the 12th February meeting.
“I apologise to Ian Boyd, I would have liked to have him speak, hopefully another day.”
Get rid of them all and start with fresh blood
Why do these two bullies keep appearing in the news? Why do they feel so important that they need to be on both Shalfleet and Yarmouth councils?
Senior Cowley voted himself in as chairman despite objections.
The arrogance of this pair is very concerning and I would avoid anything that they are involved with including Mill Copse Wight Nature Fund where the old trustees were turfed out in 2021 and new trustees took over, would you believe that three of them are Cowley’s. It doesn’t bode well having constant bullying and arrogance in a community that they are in charge of.
Time to overthrow them and replace with new blood
Looks like the Cowley’s are muscling in for a takeover. Watch out Ningwood… you’re next!!!
So, the opinionated , entitled brothers act as usual. Perhaps a bit of humility should be a qualification for sitting on a Parish council.
Don’t they just show local politics in a positive light, if this was the school playground you would tell them to grow up and not be silly. I see no point in parish and town councils other than being another lneedless layer of bureaucracy.
They are like a load of children, they need to grow up.
What a waste of space many councillors are!,
sack them all, they are not needed!.