Not Easy As ABC: Isle Of Wight Council Group Splits Just Weeks After Forming

The Isle of Wight Council’s short-lived ABC group has disbanded following Reform UK’s recent by-election win.

Central Rural representative, Reform UK’s Caroline Gladwin, and independent Nettlestone and Seaview councillor David Adams had previously announced they had united to form a new group, called ABC.

The ABC group is now no more however.

The pair were caught in a storm of controversy with Independent Socialist councillor Geoff Brodie at the beginning of this month, when Cllr Brodie raised concerns over Cllr Gladwin’s register of interests and was accused in return of bullying and harassment.

Cllr Brodie called Cllr Adams a “fascist pig” and accused him of “making threats across the room” at a meeting on Hampshire and Solent devolution.

Commenting in September on the ABC group, Cllr Gladwin said:

“Committee seats are allocated to groups and Cllr Adams and I thought it was important to form a group to access the appropriate seats to best represent our residents and our wards.”

She now says the split and formation of a new Reform UK group is the “natural step to take” after Reform retained the Lake North Isle of Wight Council seat following a by-election on October 2.

New Lake North councillor Bill Nigh is the other member of County Hall’s Reform UK group, and has said his party is looking to “take control” of the council after the Isle of Wight Council elections next May.

Cllr Adams has not responded to a request for comment about the ABC group.