Ikast-Brande councillor Søs Philipsen has left Socialdemokratiet’s city council group after voting against her party in the dispute over dispensations for businessman Jens Poulsen’s golf course project.
The resignation was reported on September 17, 2026, by DR. Philipsen quit the Social Democratic group in Ikast-Brande Kommune after breaking with her party at a council meeting on September 7, 2026.
At that meeting, she was the only Social Democrat to vote in favor of granting dispensations to Jens Poulsen and Ikast Golf Klub. The dispensations concern breaches of the Nature Protection Act, the Planning Act and the local plan.
Philipsen told DR that she stands by her vote. She said she was never invited to present her side of the case to the party’s constituency board, the kredsbestyrelse. According to her account, she was called the day after the vote and told her vote had been criticized.
She added that she does not want to work as a politician under those conditions. Per her statement to DR, she was elected to stand firm and state her own opinion.
Party group loses a seat
The Social Democratic group chairman in Ikast-Brande, Kasper Pauli Pedersen, said he regrets that the situation ended this way. As reported by DR, he praised Philipsen’s contribution to the group and her work in the committees where she represented the party.
Philipsen remains on the council as an independent. The move takes the Social Democrats in the municipality from four to three council members.
The golf course dispute
The case concerns a golf course near Ikast owned by Jens Poulsen. DR reports that Poulsen has invested many millions in the site, with the stated goal of creating one of Denmark’s best courses.
DR has previously published a list of the 15 points of contention in the case. The golf resort projects in Ikast were reviewed individually by the council. According to DR’s earlier reporting, the council allowed almost all of the disputed works at the resort.
The council had only recently settled after disagreements the week before Philipsen’s resignation, DR notes. The case then flared up again with her departure from the group.
Philipsen’s exit does not change the outcome of the September 7 vote. It changes the balance inside the council chamber, where the Social Democratic group is now smaller by one member.
DR reports that Philipsen will continue to serve out her term as a løsgænger, the Danish term for an unaffiliated councillor. Neither she nor Pedersen has indicated any further steps in the party matter, according to DR’s account.
