Veteran Isle Of Wight Councillor to Stop Attending County Hall Meetings Amid ‘Intimidation’ Claims

A long-serving Isle of Wight councillor has announced he will no longer attend meetings at County Hall for the remainder of his term, citing what he describes as “intimidation” and “pandering” to new Reform UK members.

Independent Socialist councillor Geoff Brodie, who represents Pan and Barton, says he will continue serving his residents remotely for the final six months of his tenure after nearly 21 years in office.

Cllr Brodie, a former Labour member of more than three decades, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that his attendance record at County Hall has been “exemplary”, standing at 92 per cent since his last election despite a recent battle with cancer.

In a statement, he said:

“After a year battling cancer, the last thing I need now is the stress of intimidation by a certain councillor and witnessing the pandering to the new Reform councillors by others at County Hall.

"I can just as well represent residents of Pan and Barton in the last six months of my council membership through my continued activity and visibility within the community, and by email and phone communications with officers.”

Cllr Brodie confirmed he will be stepping down from his three committee positions this month and will not attend the final three full council meetings of his term.

Over recent months, Cllr Brodie has been outspoken on several local issues, including his continued support for the West Acre Park housing development in Ryde and his opposition to the Hampshire and Solent devolution plans.

He has also criticised the activities of Advance UK and raised concerns about Reform UK councillor Caroline Gladwin’s property interests.

Responding to Cllr Brodie’s statement, Cllr Gladwin denied his allegations, saying:

“No intimidation has been shown towards Cllr Brodie. In fact, the intimidation has been all by Cllr Brodie towards me and other councillors.

"Likewise, the pandering has not been towards Reform UK councillors – it has been towards Cllr Brodie as it always has been.”

Cllr Gladwin added that there had been “no wrongdoing” on her part regarding her declaration of interests, saying the matter had been reviewed and confirmed by the acting monitoring officer.

Cllr Brodie’s decision means he will complete his current term without returning to the chamber, focusing instead on supporting residents through community work and direct communication.