Politics
Three Members Quit Board
Gef has spoken to Commissioner X, who has denied any wrongdoing or owning land on Glen Rushen Road.
The three members of Patrick Commissioners to have resigned over a recent report into the actions of the board have outlined why they quit.
As three members have quit, the board is no longer quorate and therefore able to sit.
An investigation into the board by the Tynwald Commissioner of Administration found that there was maladministration at the local authority and claimed that a commissioner, called Commissioner X in the report, had had work carried out on Glen Rushen Road, under the guise of improvements sanctioned by the local authority, that benefitted him and two other landowners.
Gef has spoken to Commissioner X, who has denied any wrongdoing or owning land on Glen Rushen Road.
Geoffrey Gelling Dr John Snelling and Richard Jones said: ‘As residents of the Parish of Patrick, and – until our resignations were accepted today – as Commissioners for the Parish, we wish to clarify the reasons for those resignations.
‘A recent report was authored by the Tynwald Commissioner for Administration, regarding work carried out on a road within the Parish of Patrick, which we believe contained many inaccuracies, inappropriate remarks to which the Commissioners were not permitted to respond, and which ultimately concluded that one of the Patrick Commissioners, anonymised as ‘Commissioner X’, acted ultra vires.
‘At the meeting of the board last evening (13/11/23), Commissioner X, previously having failed to deny any of the allegations set out in the aforementioned report, was asked by all members of the board if they would resign. Commissioner X repeatedly refused all those requests.
‘In the absence of any other legitimate process for responding to, or fairly investigating the allegations in the Tynwald report, we are unwilling to continue as members of the board whilst Commissioner X remains a member, and whilst there remains the possibility of that member continuing to act in such a manner as to undermine the democratic and representative nature of the board.
‘It is with great regret that we take this action, having stated that, under different circumstances – and particularly if there were a legitimate process in place for investigating the actions or behaviour of elected members – that we would wish to continue to serve.’
Mr Geoffrey Gelling
Dr John Snelling
Mr Richard Jones
