New ward divisions were used for this election, with thirty wards changing,[3] with the number of wards reduced by one to 39 single-member seats.[4] In the previous election, the Conservatives had won a majority with twenty five seats, with Independents (including the Island Independent Group), Liberal Democrats, Greens, and Labour also winning seats.
For the 2021 election, as well as existing independent candidates, the new Our Island also announced its intention to support several independent candidates.[5][6][7]
The incumbent Conservative leader of the council lost his seat to the Green Party,[8] and was replaced as group leader by Steve Hastings, who subsequently invited other councillors to coalition talks.[9]
On 26 May, independent councillor Lora Peacey-Wilcox was elected leader of the council with 20 votes to Hastings’s 18. There was a single abstention from the Labour councillor, who was absent.[10] Island Independent Network councillor Ian Stephens was elected her deputy. Independent councillor Geoff Brodie was elected as the Chair of the Council, with Green councillor Claire Critchison elected Vice-Chair.[11][12]
The leadership and cabinet - termed the "Alliance Group" - includes Independent, Green, Island Independent Network and Our Island councillors who together make up 18 of the 39 seats on the council. With the additional external support from the Liberal Democrats and the Vectis Party this constitutes a majority of 20 out of the 39 council seats.[13][14]
In August 2021, Cllr Brodie quit the Alliance Group over planning issues, but continues to support the administration.[15][16]
Michael Lilley, elected as an independent, joined the Liberal Democrats in May 2023.[17]
Clare Mosdell, elected as a Conservative, left the party to sit as an independent in August 2025, having previously led the Conservative group on the council.[18]
The Our Island party deregistered on 15 October 2025; its sole councillor, Jonathan Bacon, continued to sit as an independent.[19]
In February 2026, independent councillors Geoff Brodie and Clare Mosdell formed a new group, Very Broad Church, for tactical collaboration in the final months of the term.[20]
In February 2026, Reform UK removed the whip from Caroline Gladwin (Central Rural) following an internal investigation; the whip was restored in March, but she was not selected to stand for the party again and contested the 2026 election as an independent.[21][22]
In February 2026, independent councillor Ian Dore (council chair) left the Alliance group, citing his responsibility to run council meetings fairly and impartially.[23]
A by-election was held in Brighstone, Calbourne and Shalfleet on 24 November 2022, triggered by the resignation of Conservative councillor Steve Hastings.[24]
A by-election was held in Wootton Bridge on 24 August 2023, triggered by the resignation of Daryll Pitcher, the leader and only elected member of the Vectis Party, after being imprisoned for rape.[25]
A by-election was held in Freshwater South on 1 May 2025, triggered by the resignation of independent (Empowering Islanders) councillor John Medland.[29]
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Council elections on the Isle of Wight