Community Council Chair Survives No Confidence Vote After Tense Public Meeting

The chair of the Isle of Wight county town’s local authority survived a no-confidence vote at a tense extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Monday night (December 8).

Five members of Newport and Carisbrooke Community Council (NCCC) voted to express no confidence in Cllr Vix Lowthion, while eight others voted against the motion submitted by councillors Louise Rippon and Ray Harrington-Vail.

The vote followed a series of public criticisms aired by Cllr Rippon after clerk Joshua Tombleson resigned last month, including accusations that NCCC is a “modern-day rotten borough” with its leadership culture having become “unsafe, unkind and unethical”.

But at Monday’s meeting, Cllr Rippon was in turn accused of sending harassing emails calling for a no confidence vote by Cllr Tamsin Verrinder, who told attendees there was a “witch hunt” against the chair, with no evidence of Cllr Lowthion’s wrongdoing.

Cllr Rippon said she did not have “enough time or breath” to address every point that was directed at her but flagged a “bullying, toxic culture” which she said she had faced in emails and meetings.

Joshua Tombleson’s resignation letter, copied to his UNISON representatives, was previously leaked to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) and cited ‘sustained breaches’ of ‘trust, confidence and fair procedure’.

The document said he hoped the departure would be an opportunity for ‘reflection, reform, and the restoration of the transparency and decency that public service and the council’s staff deserve’.

Pan and Barton county councillor Geoff Brodie, who previously served on the community council, supported a no confidence vote at the start of the Monday session:

“What I ask you to consider is to whether any confidence you may have in the chair is shared by the loyal staff of NCCC, all of whom I have known for many years.

“It is clear to me after meetings with them in recent weeks that collectively, they largely feel no confidence in the chair, particularly but not exclusively since the resignation of the clerk last month.

“This is not something sudden, some of them have never – not once – been sought out or had their work recognised or thanked for by the chair in the time she has been in office.”

Cllr Verrinder spoke of “increasing attacks” on Cllr Lowthion which she said had become harassment and mentioned a social media post using a “Russian phrase to do with Hitler, seemingly asserting that Cllr Lowthion is a dictator”.

“This not only offends Cllr Lowthion but also another councillor who has a Jewish heritage,” she added.

She said Cllr Lowthion had attempted to deal with the situation in the “best way that she can”, making herself available to answer questions by phone at nearly all times of day.

Cllr Lowthion said:

“If we had an investigation and the investigation had found that I had done something wrong then I could completely understand what’s going on here.

“I’ve respected confidentiality all the way along… I’ve thanked staff for the things when they’ve gone above and beyond, I’ve brought in presents for staff to thank staff publicly, I’ve sent messages to thank staff.

"That’s an accusation which doesn’t reflect at all my experience."

Cllr Rippon resigned at the end of the EGM after the failed no confidence vote and told the LDRS:

“I have used my role, and this platform, to highlight serious concerns about staff treatment and wider cultural issues within the council.

“The meeting intended to give the members all time to discuss leadership failings.

"Instead became a platform for an uninformed sermon-like speech that targeted me personally.”