Newest members of the Isle of Man's Legislative Council sworn in
The Isle of Man's four newest politicians have been sworn in to take on scrutiny roles in Tynwald.Businessman Gary Clueit, social worker Kirstie Morphet and former finance worker Peter Reid will serve on the Legislative Council, the upper branch of the Manx parliament, until 2030.They took their seats for the first time a a swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, alongside Rob Mercer who successfully secured re-election to the council in early March.Mercer said he was delighted to return and was "keen to get back to work".
Much of the work of Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) involves scrutinising new legislation.They also take part in the monthly sittings of Tynwald and can also serve on government departments and scrutiny committees.
Clueit said for the first six months of his term he would be in "learning mode" to understand the workings of the "truly historic institution". He said he believed there was an "awful lot of work that needs to be done" as the challenges facing the island were "not insignificant", including issues with housing. The businessman was formerly a lay member of the government's Housing and Communities Board, which he said gave him "a voice in the room".Clueit said he was now looking forward to "having a voice in parliament".
Morphet said she was "overwhelmed but excited to start seeing where I can be of most use".The new MLC has a background in social work and she said was interested in "how adult social care was funded and how people receive that care"."Homelessness is also a big issue for me. As a nation I don't think we should have no provision", she added.The Isle of Man's only overnight shelter for homeless people closed in 2022.
Mercer, who was was first elected to the council in 2020, said he was "just as nervous" during Tuesday's ceremony as he was five years ago.Reflecting on his first term, he said he was proud to have been a member of Tynwald throughout the Covid pandemic, which had been a "very, very difficult time". The former IT professional said he had really enjoyed the role of "scrutiny and oversight".
Reid, who stood unsuccessfully for the Legislative Council in 2020, said he was "really looking forward to getting stuck in to the role".He said hoped to "try and make a small difference" using his expertise from a career in finance, and wanted to focus on moving forward insolvency legislation."Overall I want to listen and understand... people have put a lot of faith in me so I want to do good job for them", he added.
Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
16 hours ago
- BBC News
Isle of Man school leaders asked to vote on industrial action
School leaders on the Isle of Man are being asked if they want to consider taking industrial action due to the alleged "further misuse of disciplinary proceedings" by the education department. The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has held an emergency meeting to initiate a formal ballot for its members on the island.A formal dispute with the education department was raised by the union last month, citing a "toxic" culture and alleging an abuse of BBC has asked the education department for a response to the NAHT's concerns. The NAHT has opened an electronic ballot which asks members whether they would support a ballot for industrial union said it was determined to "protect its members from further misuse of disciplinary proceedings by the island's education department".It claimed there had been a "disregard of agreed policies and procedures, and the victimisation of [union] officials". 'Months of inaction' The formal complaint was raised by NAHT assistant general secretary Rob Kelsall, who wrote to the island's interim chief executive Mark Lewin. Mr Kelsall said the ballot was "unavoidable" due to "months of inaction, repeated policy breaches, and a failure to uphold basic employment rights".He added: "The integrity of our profession and the dignity of our members is on the line."We will not stand by and see school leaders being treated with contempt and their union representatives subjected to a witch-hunt and victimised."The NAHT alleged there had been breaches of the Fairness at Work Policy and the Code of Conduct for Public Servants. It claimed the education department had been misusing disciplinary procedures by imposing "punitive sanctions" rather than supporting professional union said concerns went "far beyond the experiences of any one or two individuals" and included "multiple breaches of employment policies and professional standards".It said: "We remain committed to finding a constructive resolution and believe these steps are necessary to rebuild trust and ensure fairness for all."The ballot will close on 18 June. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Scotsman
18 hours ago
- Scotsman
Scottish councils, including Edinburgh and Glasgow, to be given full powers to introduce road charging
A new strategy cover car use charges has been announced after the Scottish Government ditched an ambitious traffic reduction target. Sign up for the latest news and analysis about Scottish transport Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Ministers are to provide councils with the powers needed to charge drivers for using roads as part of a new strategy to cut car use. The move on Thursday came after the City of Edinburgh Council's transport leader said last month charging should be considered, but the relevant legislation remained incomplete. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A cheating Chesterfield mechanic who registered a customer's campervan in his own name before selling it on has since been pummelled with '160' congestion charges 'from Bradford to London', a court heard. | Archive The pledge forms part of a new Scottish Government strategy after Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop admitted in April that its long-standing, but highly ambitious target of reducing traffic by 20 per cent by 2030 was 'unachievable'. Cars contribute nearly 13 per cent of Scotland's total emissions with traffic levels rising sharply since the Covid pandemic. Transport Scotland said it would make a 'regulatory check' of the 2001 Transport (Scotland) Act 'to allow local authorities and/or regional transport partnerships (RTPs) the option to implement' local road user charging schemes. The organisation said: 'While a number of the necessary technical regulations to give effect to this power were made, initial scoping identified that further regulations must be put in place to enable local authorities and RTPs to enforce schemes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Given the passage of time since the existing regulations were brought into statute, the Scottish Government will take the opportunity to check whether these remain fit for purpose. Once the necessary regulations and guidance are in place, it will be a decision for local authorities or RTPs whether and how to implement schemes.' Transport Scotland said it would also 'revise' its car use reduction objective 'to develop a new, longer-term target, which will support our 2045 net zero target'. Ms Hyslop said: 'The renewed policy statement reiterates our commitment to reducing car use in Scotland. It recognises the high level of car dependency in many parts of Scotland, particularly mainland rural and island areas, and that car use will remain a transport need for many people.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop will step down from Holyrood next year | NationalWorld City of Edinburgh Council transport convener Stephen Jenkinson said in May that road charging 'should be on the table for discussion' despite being overwhelmingly defeated in a local referendum 20 years ago. He admitted it would be 'challenging' and would be best introduced across a wider area than the capital. 'Potentially divisive' Deborah Paton, the city council official in charge of transport, said the Scottish Government should take the lead on such schemes and provide local authorities with the powers needed. She said: "The legislation is not complete and Transport Scotland are charged with doing a regulatory review, so we really have to wait for that. It would be more equitable if Transport Scotland looked at this on a national basis. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "Leaving it to local authorities to do it on a local level is a real struggle and potentially a little bit divisive." Scottish Conservatives transport spokesperson Sue Webber said: 'This looks like the SNP have upped the ante in their war on motorists. 'Show some common sense' 'Reducing car usage depends on providing efficient and affordable public transport alternatives. READ MORE: Drivers face 43 miles of roadworks as huge road upgrade ramps up Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yet under SNP control, ScotRail is deterring passengers by cutting services and packing commuters like sardines into carriages. The result is, despite being left with pothole-scarred roads and taxes to drive into the city, Scots still need to use their car. 'SNP ministers need to show some common sense and focus on incentives, rather than penalties, to encourage Scots to leave their cars at home.' The Scottish Greens said the Government's car reduction plan lacked vision, with transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell arguing the ambitions did not go far enough to revolutionise the country's transport. Mr Ruskell said: 'We are in a congestion crisis in our major cities. Air quality is suffering and communities are being cut off by the lack of affordable and accessible public transport. It's dragging our economy down and damaging our health. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The decision to walk away from the 20 per cent reduction target was a huge step backwards that undermined years of work to decarbonise transport. The plans laid out today give no indication of a new target and no plans on how to deliver better public transport.
The Courier
a day ago
- The Courier
Sheku Bayoh inquiry told chair's independence is 'torpedoed' by family meetings
Meetings between Sheku Bayoh's family and the chair of an inquiry into his death have 'torpedoed the independence of the chair', a hearing was told. The Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Roddy Dunlop KC said 'secret' meetings held several times since Lord Bracadale was appointed to head the £50 million probe in 2020 were 'spectacularly ill-advised'. He is representing the Scottish Police Federation – one of a number of groups calling for Lord Bracadale to step down – and two of the officers involved in Mr Bayoh's death. A public inquiry running since 2021 is investigating the circumstances of Mr Bayoh's death in Kirkcaldy in May 2015 and whether race was a factor. Mr Dunlop said Mr Bayoh's family had made 'inappropriate' remarks during these meetings, with Lord Bracadale claiming to have ended the meeting as a result. He said this was contradicted by the minutes of the meeting, which showed further conversation taking place. He said: 'These meetings were, almost in their entirety, completely inappropriate. 'They were doubtless well meaning, they were doubtless arranged out of the best of intentions but – and with the greatest of respect – they were spectacularly ill-advised and they have torpedoed the independence of the chair.' Mr Bayoh died in custody after a group of police officers involved in his arrest in Kirkcaldy responded to multiple reports of him in the streets with a knife. Mr Dunlop also said Mr Bayoh's family were as positioning him as 'Scotland's George Floyd'. 'The arresting officers, on the other hand, argue this was a man bent on violence, heavily intoxicated and armed with a knife – creating a clear and present danger. 'The attempt to equiparate this inquiry with, for example, the Covid inquiries or the Omagh bombing inquiry is entirely specious.' He added the fact Lord Bracadale had written to Mr Bayoh's family stating he was 'humbled and honoured' to hear from them was 'alarming'. He said it showed clear bias and that the officers were not afforded any opportunity to similarly meet with the chair. Claire Mitchell KC, representing the family, said they had the 'utmost confidence' in Lord Bracadale. She said: 'There is a preliminary matter I'd like to address and that is the idea that the meetings that the chair and others had with the family were secret – they were nothing of the sort. 'The chair mentioned in open hearing that he had met with the family, matters were stated publicly, indeed, it was even recorded in the national press. 'But perhaps rather than being surprised that the family met with the chair a question might be asked, why did other core participants not expect it? 'Because meetings with families is common place in public inquiries.' She listed a number of such, including the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, the Grenfell Tower inquiry and the Omagh bombing Inquiry. She added the legislation that governs public inquiries states not all core participants have the same rights. 'The family of Sheku Bayoh have an Article 2 right, which this inquiry as a public body itself in terms of Section 6 of the Human Rights Act must not breach. 'That duty is not held to any other core participant and it places this family in a unique position. 'It follows from that that any and all suggestions that the core participant should be treated equally is wrong. It falls into the same error as those who say they don't see colour and therefore they treat all people the same, can't have issues of race. 'The inquiry has duties to the family of Sheku Bayoh that it does not have in respect of others and the chair has made that clear repeatedly from the outset of this inquiry.' Father-of-two Mr Bayoh, died after he was detained and lost consciousness on Hayfield Road by police officers at around 7am on May 3, 2015. The public inquiry into his death, the actions of police, and whether race was a factor began in Edinburgh in May 2022. The hearing heard from members of the public who reported seeing Mr Bayoh on the streets of Kirkcaldy with a knife, including a nurse who would go on to treat him in A&E. He wasn't carrying the knife when officers arrived at the scene but a violent confrontation followed, with up to six officers restraining the 31-year-old on the ground. Former police officer Nicole Short told the inquiry she was attacked by Mr Bayoh and believed his death was 'unavoidable'. But nearby residents refuted the claim he had 'stomped' on PC Short, with a doctor noting she was not in pain. The officers were allowed to stay together in the cafeteria of Kirkcaldy police station while family members claim they were given conflicting accounts of events.
