Isle of Wight Conservative leader Ed Blake has accused a senior Reform UK councillor of being ‘incapable’ of answering a public question on her own.
Cllr Blake launched an attack on the chair of the children’s services, education and skills committee, Cllr Ros Freeman, after the panel was probed last week on reducing Island school places and possible school closures.
The Tory education councillor claimed Cllr Freeman ‘doesn’t feel the confidence’ that she is able to say what she wants without being controlled by her party.
Cllr Freeman has not yet responded to a request for comment on the matter.
Last Thursday (July 2), she read out a response to a question submitted by Simon Richards which she attributed to both herself and Reform group leader Cllr James Whelan.
“Our priorities are not closing schools,” the statement said. “Our priority is improving education. The Reform UK group want parents to feel that their local school is the best place for their child to learn and thrive.”
Reform councillors later joined other education committee members in agreeing that reducing the number of Isle of Wight school places, which may mean school closures, is a ‘critical and urgent’ priority.
Cllr Blake said the answer from councillors Whelan and Freeman did not represent his view as a committee member.
“I’m confused as to why a question directed to you (Cllr Freeman) has to be answered by councillor Whelan and yourself,” he said. “Why can’t you answer the question?”
Cllr Freeman said she wrote the answer and as a new councillor and chair of the committee, wanted the answer checked which she said had been done by the council’s democratic services.
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The councillor also said she wanted the chair of her party to read it.
Cllr Blake remarked that this raises ‘more questions than answers’.
Council officer Simon Wiggins earlier said the question was put to the committee’s chair and it is for them to provide the response.
He added that how that response is formulated is within the chair’s control.
After the meeting, Cllr Blake told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Kemi Badenoch or the chair of the (Conservative) association does not tell me what to do politically. As a councillor I am there to represent the party.
“But I’m there to act as a councillor and I have self-determination in that. Every other councillor that I’ve ever come across…has demonstrated that.
“Cllr Freeman doesn’t feel the confidence that she’s able to say what she wants without being controlled by the party. That is one way you could read into that.”
He added that ultimately Cllr Freeman is saying she is ‘incapable’ of answering a question.
Councillor Whelan has also been approached for comment, but has yet to respond.
Reform has 19 councillors on the council and Conservatives have two.
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