Latest news with #councillors
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
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
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.
CTV News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Waterloo Regional Councillors to fill vacant seat through application process
Councillors with the Region of Waterloo have made the decision to fill a vacant Kitchener seat through an application process, opening next week.
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Plans for £35m Edinburgh George Street revamp backed
Plans for a major redevelopment of one of the Edinburgh New Town's main streets have been backed by city councillors, despite fears over a lack of estimated £35m revamp of George Street will see parking down the centre of the street removed, a new cycle lane and traffic restrictions council hopes money for the project will come from the new visitor levy and through Scottish government and Transport Scotland funding concerns have been raised about the current financial situation and how likely it will be to secure all the money for the project. If funding is found, construction is scheduled to start after the Edinburgh Festival in 2027 with a completion date of August or September a meeting on Thursday, councillors voted six to five in favour of backing the most expansive – and expensive - approved George Street revamp will include more space for pedestrians, seating areas, trees and raised access will be restricted at certain times to just taxis and delivery vehicles, with "hostile vehicle mitigation" bollards controlling access at entry points. Most expansive and expensive plan Opposition councillors expressed concern over the scheme's practicality, instead calling for £10m to be spent on properly maintaining the existing street council officers said this would not meet the city's street design guidelines and would not qualify for funding from public bodies. Conservative councillor for the City Centre ward Joanna Mowat said: "We've been talking for nearly 11 years now."The elephant in the room is that we still don't have any money, and are reliant on applying to third parties and having this money granted to us before we can put a shovel in the ground."Two lesser options, costing £13m and £20m, which would cut out certain elements of the full scheme, were also proposed but voted council said that if adequate funding for the project cannot be found, councillors will be able to scale back to one of these less ambitious and Environment Committee convener Stephen Jenkinson said: "This is a unique opportunity to bring one of Edinburgh's most important streets into the modern world whilst still maintaining its unique history and features."The wider potential improvements are vast, from benefits to local residents and businesses to enhancing Edinburgh as a visitor destination, and beyond."
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Over-running meeting webcasts cost Aberdeen City Council £12,000
Over-running and extra council meetings in Aberdeen have cost the local authority nearly £12,000 in additional webcasting costs over the past two years.A report to go before councillors on Wednesday will call on them to review proposals to address the amount of adjourned, reconvened and requisitioned City Council is looking to address the issue due to the costs of the extra meetings having to be called, and sessions regularly running into new days or beyond their allocated time. Concerns have been raised about the impact this has on the council's ability to conclude business, and on councillors' and officials' time. Aberdeen City Council has a £26,691-a-year contract for webcasts - based on 120 live between the 2023 financial year and the end of 2024/25 the live streams went 173 hours over cost the council an additional £11,882 over that period, a cost of £68.68 per have called 13 special or requisitioned meetings over the past report suggests "this could be managed better".
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Glasgow City Council news, interviews and updates
The Glasgow City Council delivers all local government services - education, social care, waste collection, and planning - across the Glasgow area. There are 85 councillors elected to the council, each representing an area. Read on for all the latest Glasgow City Council news, interviews and updates. As reported by Glasgow Times, here is a selection of the latest Glasgow City Council news stories. Glasgow schools to lose librarians due to budget cuts Glasgow City Council reprimanded over abuse survivor delays Grant for developer of Glasgow's Egyptian Halls approved You can check your band online at the Scottish Assessors Association website or on your bill. (Image: PA) The council has increased tax bands by 7.5 per cent for 2025/2026. Charges against all the bands can be viewed here. Collection dates are on the council's online calendar here. If you are a kerbside bin user, go to the council's website and type your address or postcode into the search box to find your next collection day. (Image: Newsquest) The search will show the days and dates bins are due to be emptied. The council has instructed that bins must be placed out at the kerb for 7am on the collection day, with bin handles facing the road. The website instructs those who live in a flat to search their postcode or address in the 'find address' search box on the right-hand side of the page to reveal the bin day. Residents in flats and main door properties can get their bulky waste removed by the council on the day before their collection date. The council said items must be placed within the property grounds and they must not obstruct bins or common pathways. Items such as cast iron washing poles, garden rollers, and metal garage doors will not be collected. The collection of a standard item is charged £5 per item, large electrical items are £5 per item, and special items are £80 per uplift. All payments can be made by credit or debit card. To reach out to the council, head to their MyGlasgowCC page to report, request, or pay for services 24/7. Apply for a resident parking permit via your RingGo account: (Image: Colin Mearns) Approved permit applications will be valid for a year. The fees for each zone can be viewed at: Application to buy or renew other permits - Business permits, Event Day Resident permits, Event Day Business permits, and Event Day Resident Visitor Permits – can also be done via RingGo. To view all planning applications, go here: The council's school term dates for 2025-2026 can be viewed here:
