Resignations, axing the Ukraine flag, scrapping a floods team in a flood-hit county, and a row with firefighters: How Reform UK's new councillors are 'sowing chaos' in town halls

Daily Mail​

4 hours ago

It has been less than two months since Reform UK had more than 650 councillors elected - but Nigel Farage 's party is already accused of causing havoc in town halls.
A damning dossier has revealed the 'chaos and confusion' that Reform councillors are sowing across England after their local elections success on 1 May.
As well as winning hundreds of council seats, the insurgent party also seized control of 10 local authorities in a major breakthrough.
But critics are questioning Reform's ability to govern at a local level following a series of disputes over the past eight weeks.
This includes the scrapping of a floods team in a flood-hit county, the banning of the Ukraine flag, and a bitter row with firefighters.
The party has also faced embarassment by the resignations of a slew of councillors - just weeks after their election - as well as claims of Reform councillors sharing far-right content on social media.
In addition, the party was left red-faced by vowing to scrap Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in areas where none existed.
A Tory spokesman said: 'This all just goes to show that you cannot trust Reform in power.
'Local residents need to know that vital services will be delivered, their bins will be collected, and their tax money well spent.
'But it seems in just one short month since the local elections all Reform councils are delivering is chaos and confusion, with the public left to suffer the consequences.
'The British public deserve real leadership, not just showbiz and broken promises.
'Only Kemi Badenoch and the Conservatives will give this country the representation it deserves.'
The dossier of Reform's missteps reveals how the party has suffered...
A slew of resignations
Little more than a week after being elected as a Reform councillor, Andrew Kilburn announced he will no longer take up his role on Durham County Council.
It came after he failed to declare that he worked for the council when standing for election, which is against the law.
Reform said it looked forward to contesting a subsequent by-election in the Benfieldside ward.
In Staffordshire, Wayne Titley resigned as a county councillor just two weeks after being election.
He won the Eccleshall and Gnosall division for Reform, but was engulfed in a row about a post on his Facebook account.
It called on the Royal Navy to use 'a volley of gun fire' with the aim of 'sinking' small boats in the Channel.
Mr Titley quit for 'personal reasons', while Reform faced criticism over the triggering of a by-election which would cost local taxpayers an estimated £27,000.
Separately, up to a dozen Reform councillors have faced claims of sharing far-right and Islamophobic social media content, including the sharing of posts by Britain First.
There have also been departures of Reform councillors in Kent and Warwickshire.
Reform suspended Kent county councillor Daniel Taylor, who now sits as an independent, following 'a matter which is now with the police'.
And, in Warwickshire, the recently-elected county council leader resigned to leave his 18-year-old deputy in charge.
Reform councillor Rob Howard, who was in power for 41 days, said he had made the decision with 'much regret' and cited health reasons for his departure.
Flags fury
Reform sparked anger by taking down an LGBTQ+ Pride flag at Durham County Hall, while a Ukrainian flag erected by the previous administration was also removed.
Liberal Democrat county councillor Ellie Hopgood said: 'We know from their social media posts that Reform councillors are keener on Russia's flag than Ukraine's or Pride's.'
She added it was a 'petty and mean-spirited act' ahead of a Pride in Armed Forces event.
But the council's deputy leader, Reform's Darren Grimes, defended the decision to fly the Union Jack, flag of St George and the County Durham flag.
'Together, they represent every Briton, gay or straight, black or white, Christian, Sikh, or otherwise, who has fought, died, and sacrificed under those colours,' he said.
'Flying our national and local flags is an act of unity. Swapping them out for niche political symbols is just more toxic identity politics.'
Reform had previously been forced to clarify its stance on the flying of flags from council buildings.
The party had announced that Reform-controlled councils would only fly the Union Jack or St George's flag.
But there was uproar after it was claimed this would also ban the flying of county flags, such as the red rose flag of Lancashire.
Reform later clarified that it would allow the flying of county flags.
A floods row
Lincolnshire County Council's flood and water management scrutiny committee was axed by Reform when it took control of the local authority in May.
This was despite Lincolnshire suffering some of the worst flooding in its history during deluges from Storm Babet and Henk, along with fresh flooding in January.
Opponents criticised the move as 'reckless, foolhardy, and wrong'.
But Reform claimed it would save money and simplify the council without harming efforts to combat flooding.
Council leader Sean Matthews promised the new administration would work 'longer and harder on flooding than ever before'.
'Whether you think it's man-made or a natural cycle of events, we won't neglect flooding,' he said.
'We were elected on a mandate of reducing waste and simplifying the council, and this will do that.'
Firefighters dispute
It was revealed earlier this month how firefighters are threatening to strike in Reform-controlled council areas in a row over pensions being stripped back.
The row came after the party's deputy leader, Richard Tice, said Reform would take an axe to 'unaffordable' final salary schemes.
He said Reform-controlled councils would stop offering such generous terms to new recruits.
Mr Tice added that staff on existing contracts would have to accept lower annual pay rises to balance out the huge cost of funding their retirement.
But the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said it would 'fiercely resist' the plans, which it described as 'an assault on the pensions of firefighters and council workers'.
FBU general secretary Steve Wright said: 'It's outrageous that the multi-millionaire deputy leader of Reform UK has declared war on firefighters who pay into council workers' pension schemes.'
Mr Tice insisted he had ' not mentioned firefighters nor their pension terms', adding: 'What I have said is that we should not be taking on new council staff on the defined benefit schemes because they are unaffordable going long into the future.'
The FBU said firefighters pay into local authority-funded pension schemes, and that 'it's their hard earned cash that Reform wants to raid'.
LTNs embarrassment
Reform's pledge to remove all Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) from the council areas it now controls risked leaving the party red-faced - after the 10 local authorities said they do not actually have any in place.
Derbyshire, Doncaster, Durham, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and West Northamptonshire all told The Guardian they had no such schemes.
Tory ministers pursued a growth of LTNs in the wake of the Covid pandemic in 2020 as it sought to encourage more people to walk or cycle in towns and cities.
But their implementation by local authorities has proved unpopular with drivers and residents - with many instances of road bollards being vandalised - for forcing them away from their usual routes.