Isle of Wight Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1890 (Isle of Wight County Council) 1 April 1995 (Isle of Wight Council) |
| Leadership | |
Wendy Perera since April 2022[3] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 39 councillors |
 | |
Political groups | Independent (9) Green (2) Our Island (1) Conservative (14) Independent (6) Reform UK (2) Labour (1) |
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 6 May 2021 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
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| County Hall, High Street,Newport, PO30 1UD | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Isle of Wight Council, known between 1890 and 1995 asIsle of Wight County Council, is the local authority for theIsle of Wight in England. Since 1995 it has been aunitary authority, being acounty council which also performs the functions of adistrict council. It is based atCounty Hall inNewport. The council has been underno overall control since 2021, being led by a coalition of independent, Green, and Our Island councillors called the Alliance Group. With the introduction of a committee system, replacing the former cabinet model from May 2025, the council remains under Alliance leadership but with committee chairs elected from various parties.
Electedcounty councils were established in England and Wales in 1889 under theLocal Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions previously carried out by unelectedmagistrates at thequarter sessions.[4] As part of thehistoric county ofHampshire, the Isle of Wight was initially governed byHampshire County Council. Shortly afterwards it was decided that the island should form its ownadministrative county, whilst remaining part of Hampshire for judicial andlieutenancy purposes.[5]
| Local Government Board's Provisional Order Confirmation (No. 2) Act 1889 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act to confirm a Provisional Order of the Local Government Board relating to the Isle of Wight. |
| Citation | 52 & 53 Vict. c. clxxvii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 26 August 1889 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Isle of Wight Act 1980 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The administrative county of the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Wight County Council were therefore established, by theLocal Government Board's Provisional Order Confirmation (No. 2) Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. clxxvii) with effect from 1 April 1890, on which day the council held its first official meeting at theGuildhall in Newport.Somerset Gough-Calthorpe was appointed the first chairman of the council.[6]
Until 1974 the lower tier of local government comprised severalboroughs,urban districts and arural district. In 1974, under theLocal Government Act 1972, the lower tier was reorganised and the island was left with twodistricts:Medina andSouth Wight.[7][8] As part of the same reforms the island was reclassified as anon-metropolitan county and given its ownLord Lieutenant andHigh Sheriff, finally making it separate from Hampshire forceremonial as well as administrative purposes.[9]
On 1 April 1995, following recommendations made by theLocal Government Commission for England appointed in 1992, the two district councils were abolished and the county council assumed their functions, making it aunitary authority. It was renamed 'Isle of Wight Council' at the same time. It remains legally a county council, but one which also performs district functions. It was the first such unitary authority in England; many more were created from 1996 onwards.[10]
The council has been a member of theIslands Forum since 2022.
The council performs bothdistrict-level andcounty-level functions. The whole island is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a second tier of local government.[11]
The council has been under no overall control since the2021 election, being led by a minority coalition called the Alliance Group, comprising some of the independent councillors, the Green Party and local party Our Island.[12]
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[13]
Upper-tier authority: Isle of Wight County Council
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1974–1977 | |
| Conservative | 1977–1981 | |
| Liberal | 1981–1985 | |
| Alliance | 1985–1988 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1988–1995 | |
Unitary authority: Isle of Wight Council
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 1995–1998 | |
| No overall control | 1998–2005 | |
| Conservative | 2005–2013 | |
| No overall control | 2013–2017 | |
| Conservative | 2017–2021 | |
| No overall control | 2021–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 2007 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Sutton[14] | Conservative | 19 Sep 2007 | ||
| David Pugh[15] | Conservative | 19 Sep 2007 | May 2013 | |
| Ian Stephens[16] | Independent | May 2013 | 21 Jan 2015 | |
| Jonathan Bacon[17][18] | Independent | 21 Jan 2015 | 16 Jan 2017 | |
| Dave Stewart[19][20] | Conservative | 18 Jan 2017 | May 2021 | |
| Lora Peacey-Wilcox[21][22] | Independent | 26 May 2021 | 20 Sep 2023 | |
| Phil Jordan[23] | Independent | 20 Sep 2023 | ||
Following the2021 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was as follows:[24]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 15 | |
| Conservative | 14 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 4 | |
| Green | 2 | |
| Reform | 2 | |
| Labour | 1 | |
| Our Island | 1 | |
| Total | 39 | |
Of the independent councillors, nine (two of whom belong to the Island Independent Network, part of theIndependent Network, a national umbrella group supporting independent councillors) sit in the "Alliance Group" with the Green Party and Our Island councillor, which forms the council's administration. Of the other six independent councillors, three sit together as the "Empowering Islanders" group and three (one of whom describes themselves as "Independent Socialist") do not form part of a group.[25]
In February 2025, the government announced that it intended to postpone the elections that were due to take place in May 2025 for a year, to allow for alternative local government structures for the area to be considered.[26]
The council meets and has its main offices atCounty Hall on High Street in Newport.[27]
The council initially met at the Guildhall in Newport. In 1904 it moved its meeting place to the Technical Institute (now the Island Sixth Form) at the southern end of St James Street in Newport. Until the 1930s the council's administrative offices were split between several different buildings.[28]
By the 1930s, many of the council's offices were at the former Swan Hotel and adjacent houses in High Street, Newport.[29] A new building, designed in theNeo-Georgian style by Gutteridge and Gutteridge, was built on the same site and opened in October 1938. An extension was built on its east side in 1969.[30]
Since the last boundary changes in 2021 the island has been divided into 39electoral divisions, each of which elects one councillor. Elections are held every four years.[31]
The coat of arms of the Isle of Wight was granted to the County Council in 1938. The shield shows a representation ofCarisbrooke Castle, which was the historic seat of many island governors, surrounded by three gold anchors. At the bottom is the island's motto "All this beauty is of God".
