To wonder if the majority of new councillors realise what they have signed up for?

[Bobbingtons]

After the local elections and the huge shift to reform I do wonder if the majority of newly elected counselors actually realise what they have signed up for.
Bring a counsellor is not an easy task and on average the commitment is around 22 hours a week. The job involves reading reports, helping constituents, sitting on committees and running a large complex organisation with hundreds of departments, it's not just a case of having a title, but having a whole extra job.
We saw in Kent when reform took over it fell into chaos and bickering. I know a number of reform candidates were experienced political operators, but with so many newly elected I do worry they haven't as actually considered what happens next and how much work is actually involved.
I'm highly politically motivated and have thought about standing in the past, but realised that the commitment is far too much for me to handle!

I've heard the same from family members who work at Kent county council. I count myself lucky the council I work for didn't have elections last week, but we will next year in preparation for local government reorganisation in 2028. I'm dreading it to be honest, it's tough enough in local government right now as it is.

I am laughing to myself a bit about this though https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx21g3n3457o

from the party who railed against council inefficiency and EDI - making up a fluff job for a woman who is now having to defend herself saying that she got it on merit 🤦🏻‍♀️ just goes to show how stupid this rhetoric is

I am a councillor although I was not up this year. My ward colleague was beaten by a green. I suspect I’ll be gone next year due to the margin they won by. This feels really unfair as I work really hard and am available to residents - but we are where we are.

Reform in Suffolk have blocked the local independent press in Ipswich from attending council meetings. Great democratic process guys 😒

They tried the same in Nottingham last year

What I've seen of Reform councillors on my local council (those who got in last time round) they seem to think their primary role is to start very public fights with other councillors on SM.

There's no way on earth I'd have voted for them, but every seat on our district council went to them this time, so I have to hope some of them are a little but competent, but this is one (of many) of the things that worry me about Reform. Two many people who've come out of nowhere with no experience or qualifications to make them able to do the job.

@patooties Many many years ago, someone I knew well, Met Borough councillor, fell out with his party (Labour) after decades of service. Stood as an Independent and was elected easily because of his personal vote, which was well deserved.

It's a thought.

Some of them were elected on a Gaza ticket.

Might prove difficult to change things on a different continent!

It's tough for everyone. I managed a team that supported councillors in their non party political role and we spent a lot of time with new councillors explaining what advice we could and couldn't give them to stay non political. Without a party structure, I dread to think of the mess in some of these councils. And - I suspect - with many fewer staff than we had when I left 15 years ago. We spent 5 days just running training sessions for new councillors on expenses, paperwork, their responsibilities, the org structure and committees. All valuable but takes a lot of officer time away from the day job...

Anyone who has a Reform councillor needs to make them work for their money, bins not emptied, contact them, litter, contact them, any tiny thing contact them. If you don't get resolution then next time vote them out.

Do you think they know that they don’t get paid?

What money? Their allowance usually barely covers expenses

In Sheffield they get around £16k plus expenses & a pension, I know because I've been helping ds fill in all the tax forms, they also get extra if they are chair for any of the committees.

I get 10.5k and an additional allowance as I’m on exec.
I think I do about 20 hours a week, every week for that (with casework, meetings, reading, surgeries and the fun stuff such as visits and community things) I door knock every week year round whether I’m up or not . I write newsletters and blogs, litterpick, bulb plant etc. as well as attending immunity group meetings to support them.
I think I would get more if I worked in Tesco!

Yes, I agree, but the problem with that is it will just cause suffering and frustration for loads of ordinary people who’ve done nothing to deserve it.

Weren't two elected Reform councillors actually deceased? Reform's vetting processes seem inadequate, to say the least.

A fourth councillor has been suspended, in Plymouth this time. Never showed up at the count either.

There are extremist standing for every party. Labour and Greens are the antisemitic parties. DH will be working hard locally not nationally. He will represent all people in our town and treat them equally. In our local Reform branch I have not heard any racist, anti-Semitic, or Hitler loving people speak. They are just ordinary people who want their bins emptied and decent public services.

Many have worked in Local Authorities, or been part of another political party, then moved to Refirm, so I think they’ll be ok.

https://pgw.report/council-changes-2026/v1/

This site tracks councillors elected from all parties.

Our local Facebook has an anonymous poster ‘superfluousPotato749’ asking the newly elected reformite if he’s still ‘mincing’ young girls and threatening to post the screenshots…

a small north western suburb awaits the receipts.

"And they have spent a large amount of money on expensive consultants to tell them how to save money"

So true! Funny how the expensive consultants never tell organisations to save money by not wasting huge sums on paying for the advice of outside consultancies, isn't it?😂

They are clueless, just like the people who voted for them.

8 now gone thou one appears to be duplicated...