The Legislative Council has voted to make the chairman of the Communications Commission a non-political role.

Despite the House of Keys rejecting the idea, MLCs last week voted in favour of an amendment to the Communications Bill, which regulations broadcasting and telecommunications.

Once more it puts the upper chamber at odds with the elected body over a piece of legislation, following a recent dispute over charities law, but this time the MLC behind the change Kate Lord-Brennan, said some MHKs wanted her to do it.

MLCs supported a new clause proposed by Kate Lord-Brennan to state that the Council of Ministers must, by April 30, 2021, change the rules so that the chairman of the commission - currently the Home Affairs Minister Bill Malarkey - cannot be a Tynwald member.

Mrs Lord-Brennan said that despite the fact a similar attempt had been defeated when the Bill was before the Keys, there had been a lot of support for the change, with many believing the regulatory body should not have a political head.

She said: ’In some quarters there is an expectation that this will be looked at to be returned to Keys for further discussion based on a varied amendment.

’On the one hand there is quite a strong view that actually it is really not right to have a political chair. On the other side of things there has been put to me a need to have a political chair in the short to medium-term just to be practical about matters.’

She added: ’I think it has been recognised, in a number of ways that, in the longer term, it is not really acceptable to have this arrangement on an indefinite basis.’

Mrs Lord-Brennan said the commission itself had told her it wanted to carry out a consultation on its structure so did not support the amendment.

’It is not the commission that is voting on it, it is Tynwald members,’ she said, adding the amendment allowed time for a consultation on how to carry out the change.

Attorney General John Quinn said the commission was concerned that the amendment would impose an outcome ’without being informed’ by any consultation. He said there were several different models for such an organisation and the commission wanted them considered.

Bill Henderson opposed the amendment. He supported the concept of an independent chairman but said MLCs should give the commission and Mr Malarkey the chance to review the situation as they had indicated a willingness to change.

The amendment was ’jumping the gun’.

However, the amendment was passed by seven votes to one, with only Mr Henderson voting against. The attorney general does not have a vote.

The amended Bill still needs to go for a third reading in the Legislative Council today (Tuesday) and will then have to be returned to the House of Keys for approval of the changes.