Independent councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox has been elected the new leader of the Isle of Wight Council, after the Island's Conservatives failed to secure enough votes.
Speaking to the County Press outside Medina Leisure Centre, where the count took place, he thanked council staff and party colleagues and said he had been fortunate to have had the opportunity to lead the local authority. The Conservative lost to The Green Party s Claire Critchison, in a head-to-head race, after an overall Isle of Wight turnout of just over 36 per cent, on Thursday, May 6. Mr Stewart won 636 votes, to Cllr Critchison s 876. This year, she overturned her 2017 deficit (Dave Stewart: 791 votes; Claire Critchison: 313 votes; Wendy Loader (Labour): 80 votes, in 2017) to swing the rural West Wight seat from blue, to green.
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Isle Of Wight MP Calls For Stability After Conservatives County Hall Fall
By Oliver Dyer
Bob Seely has been congratulating and commiserating candidates standing in the Isle of Wight elections.
Attention is now turning to the formation of a coalition, after the Tories managed only 18 of the 20 seats required to take back control of the local authority.
Mr Seely says he hopes a working majority can be found. He s called for a common vision , regardless of what coalition is chosen.