Fresh faces for Isle of Wight Council as new candidates win

Islanders headed to the polls on Thursday (May 6) to vote in a new set of councillors to lead the Isle of Wight Council and put in more than a third of fresh candidates at County Hall.

Overall, voter turnout on the Island for the authority's election was 36.93 — down by almost four per cent on the previous 2017 election.

With boundary changes, made by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England ahead of this year's May elections, it is not quite as simple to say who has won, lost or gained seats.

The once-ruling Conservative party, however, lost seven seats but won back three although failing to gain the majority with only 18 successfully won seats.

Two of the Conservative seats fell to the Green Party, with new Cllrs Claire Critchison (Chale, Niton and Shorwell) and Joe Lever (Carisbrooke and Gunville), who have both previously stood before for the authority, taking the places.

Cllrs Joe Lever and Claire Critchison, successful Green Party candidates now on the Isle of Wight Council.

Cllr Critchison yesterday took an early win against former council leader Dave Stewart, with the latter conceding his seat before the official results were announced.

• Conservative Isle of Wight Council Leader Dave Stewart loses seat

Speaking after the decision, Cllr Critchison said: "It was a bit of a surprise, being a two-horse race, but we went with it and I am really pleased the residents of the ward wanted me to do it."

Cllr Lever said he is excited about the win, that it's a big responsibility but they are up to the task.

• Second win for Green in former Conservative seat

Another new face will be in Binstead and Fishbourne, where Independent Ian Dore took the seat from Conservative hopeful Ed Hopper and Simon Cooke.

• Ex soldier Ian Dore unseats Conservative in Binstead and Fishbourne

Former Isle of Wight Council leader, Jonathan Bacon, is also back, gaining his seat in Brading and St Helens.

• Our Island Leader Jonathan Bacon wins County Hall seat back

Conservative Martin Oliver won the Mountjoy and Shide ward for the party, defeating well-known Independent Shirley Smart by 159 votes.

Now Cllr Richard Quigley, the only successful Labour candidate.

In a head-to-head Labour versus Conservative battle, for Cowes North, the former Parliamentary candidate Richard Quigley turned the ward red, gaining the ward from the blues, by 35 votes.

• Cowes North Conservative loses to Labour's Richard Quigley

Gaining a single seat, the new Vectis Party leader Daryll Pitcher took Wootton Bridge from Conservative Barry Abraham, with a 175 vote lead.

The Island Independent Network also got a second seat in County Hall, with Cllr Karen Lucioni winning Ryde Monktonmead from the Conservatives earning a 161 vote gap over second place.

In newly formed wards Central Rural and Ryde South East, Conservatives Suzie Ellis and Warren Drew took the seats.

No one party has a majority of seats at the moment, with talks thought to have been started to determine a coalition and a way ahead between the parties for a new make-up of the local authority.

• Read more of our political coverage from the count in the blog here.

Here is a complete list of the new candidates:

• Joe Robertson (Bembridge, Con)
• Ian Dore (Binstead and Fishbourne, Ind)
• Jonathan Bacon (Brading and St Helens, Our Island)
• Joe Lever (Carisbrooke and Gunville, Green)
• Suzie Ellis (Central Rural, Con)
• Claire Critchison (Chale, Niton and Shorwell, Green)
• Richard Quigley (Cowes North, Lab)
• Peter Spink (Freshwater North and Yarmouth, Con)
• Martin Oliver (Mountjoy and Shide, Con)
• David Adams (Nettlestone and Seaview, Ind)
• Ray Redrup (Newport West, Con)
• Karen Lucioni (Ryde Monktonmead, IIN)
• Phil Jordan (Ryde North West, Ind)
• Warren Drew (Ryde South East, Con)
• Chris Jarman (Totland and Colwell, Ind)
• Daryll Pitcher (Wootton Bridge, Vectis)

Here are the other candidates who either won their seats or have been reelected:

• Steve Hastings (Brighstone, Calbourne and Shalfleet, Con)
• Lora Peacey-Wilcox (Cowes Medina, Ind)
• John Nicholson (Cowes South and Northwood, Con)
• Paul Fuller (Cowes West and Gurnard, Ind)
• Karl Love (East Cowes, Ind)
• Matthew Price (Fairlee and Whippingham, Con)
• John Medland (Freshwater South, Ind)
• Vanessa Churchman (Haylands and Swanmore, Con)
• Tig Outlaw (Lake North, Con)
• Paul Brading (Lake South, Con)
• Clare Mosdell (Newchurch, Havenstreet and Ashey, Con)
• Julie Jones-Evans (Newport Central, Ind)
• Stephen Hendry (Osborne, Con)
• Geoff Brodie (Pan and Barton, Ind)
• Andrew Garratt (Parkhurst and Hunnyhill, Lib Dem)
• Michael Lilley (Ryde Appley and Elmfield, Ind)
• Ian Stephens (Ryde West, IIN)
• Debbie Andre (Sandown North, Ind)
• Ian Ward (Sandown South, Con)
• Michael Beston (Shanklin Central, Con)
• Chris Quirk (Shanklin South, Con)
• Gary Peace (Ventnor and St Lawrence, Con)
• Rodney Downer (Wroxall, Lowtherville and Bonchurch, Ind)

See how many votes each candidate (and their opponents) got here.