Just can't agree. Even the village idiot would realise with four independents you can never have the numbers on a 7 person board. Their only chance would be if they had an independent in their pocket and that was always going to be unlikely.
Personally, if I was in a position of power, I'd sack Board members who continually failed to refer decisions up the line for approval after a warning or two. By decisions I mean those previously agreed as needing to be referred. I'd do it in a heartbeat.
I can't understand, however, how the two HBG members on the board were not the first to go. As members of both boards they had no excuse.