Andy Sutton Resigns As Leader of IW Council: David Pugh Takes Over [Updated]

Message In A Bottle: Council Urged to Save Our SeasideWow, shock news … just checking out the new look IW Radio website we see the leader story that Andy Sutton, Leader of the Council has resigned!

Have a guess at the reason for Andy Sutton’s departure?

Uhm, might it have something to do with the Planning Department?

According to the IW Radio website, Mr Sutton was concerned over how a planning application in Shanklin had been handled. He has made a request that the chairman of IOW Council’s Standard Committee investigate the planning application – more details to follow as soon as we get them.

If that wasn’t surprising enough, 26 27 year old David Pugh has officially become the new leader.

If you are wondering who David Pugh is, well he was elected in May 2005 and previously worked at Conservative central office in Westminster and currently sits on Shanklin Town Council and up until this afternoon, was Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure and Communications. An Island lad, he went to Trinity Middle and Sandown High School. Did you go to school with him? We’d love to know more, let us know at ventnorblog(at)gmail(dot)com.

Yes, we have a 26 year old in charge of the Isle of Wight.

Have just listened to the 9 o’clock news on IW Radio and amazed that they haven’t covered it. [Update: Duncan Smith, the news editor for IW Radio has contacted us to let us know that due to the policy of IW Radio’s parent company TLRC, IW Radio’s evening programme is a national network show and therefore doesn’t cover local news. The story should be covered on news bulletins between 6am-6.30pm]
A press release has just come out from the council banging on about David Pugh and no mention of WHY Andy Sutton has stepped down.

More news as we get, and don’t think for a minute that this will distract us away from the Mill Bay proposal.