What will Reform in local authorities look like?

[Picklez]

Sorry couldn’t find a thread that covered this. I’m in an area where Reform are now in charge of the council.

What does this actually mean in terms of what they will be able to do / powers they will have? I understand their biggest policy appears to be tackling immigration which doesn’t seem like something they would have power over in a county council. I saw Farage had said that all workers will be sent back to the office and that EDI jobs will become obsolete in a bid to save money, but I’m unsure what other changes we might see locally.

I imagine putting the people in the pub who could run the council better in charge of the council will have similar results to putting the people in the pub who could manage England better in charge of the national team. Common sense is usually harder than it sounds over your third lunchtime pint.

The newly elected Reform councillors are about to find out that a lot of what they would like to cut are services the council is legally required to provide.

They are also about to find out that despite their promises to fill every pothole instantly, there is no money available to do so. Council budgets are stretched beyond breaking point with most having already cut any service they are not legally obliged to deliver.

Reform’s plans for change?

Oh, brilliant to some members of the community…on paper. Grand visions, sweeping promises, all delivered with a straight face.

Shame reality has this annoying habit of involving laws, policies, and, you know, actual consequences and accountability.

It’s all very ‘buy now, big headlines, act later’ politics—like maxing out a credit card on fantasies and then feigning shock when the bill arrives.

"Significant recent changes to Desmond's personal circumstances have led him to conclude that he is not in a position to deliver the level of service to the people of Newark West that they deserve and require."

Maybe his wife left him in disgust. Or perhaps he's just discovered that he can't deport anyone.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g2qxr79gdo

"Seven days after fighting an election on a promise to cut spending and waste, the Reform County Councillor for Newark West has resigned which will result in the triggering of a by-election that will cost taxpayers thousands of pounds," said Conservative group leader Sam Smith.

We'll likely see many more follow him

687 Reform councillors elected last week

57 had previously stood as Conservatives

55 had previously stood for Reform but not for the Cons

51 had stood as Independents or for another party

524 are new councillors

That could equally mean that he has just got a new job in a different part of the country.

Just as an example, my dad was elected as a county councillor back in the mid 1980s.

About 18 months later he got a job in another part of the country that meant he was never at home during the week (instead of uprooting us - I had just started in the fourth year, these days Year 10 - he moved for his job and just came home to us at the weekends).

He obviously couldn't fulfill his role as a councillor properly and so resigned.

Perhaps it is something similar with this guy?
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Totally off-topic, but talking about this just reminded me of it. Back then our local MP was Dr Brian Mawhinney (later, Lord Mawhinney). He was born in Belfast and, at this time, he was a Minister in the Northern Ireland Office.

This was only two years after the Brighton hotel bombing where the IRA had tried to murder Mrs Thatcher, the then Prime Minister.

So, Brian Mawhinney comes to visit my parents and, given the security situation, he has security sat in a car outside the front of our house.

It turns out that one (or more) of our neighbours phoned the local police station saying that there were some really dodgy looking men in a car outside our house.

The local police came and it was clearly a bit embarrassing when they realised that they were all policemen.

I really cannot believe (or maybe I can) just how not joined up things were back then.
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Guardian obituary for Lord Mawhinney

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/10/lord-mawhinney-obituary

One news outlet (www.newarkadvertiser.co.uk/news/reform-councillor-resigns-less-than-a-week-after-election-9416300/, hit Escape before the page finishes loading to stop the paywall from popping up) has this:

"However, less than a week later the party has confirmed the decision to step down from the council, with Mr Clarke stating he was “not in a position to represent the people of Newark West in the way they deserve, while at the same time continuing his career in social care, about which he is very passionate.”"

Maybe a new job, or maybe he just realised that it's a lot of time to commit on top of full-time employment.

Maybe a paper candidate, and somebody asked him to stand on the basis that “You’ll never get elected”. Who knows? iIt’s a massive waste of time and resources though. It’s really frustrating in a local authority when you can’t get on with your job because of an election, especially when you’ve got a couple in quick succession and things are already delayed.

He’s likely the tip of the iceberg.

expect a constant drip feed of Reform cllrs quitting

More standing down here. (tbc).

Perhaps they should have read the rules for standing.

Perhaps if they are so committed to their politics they could change their jobs.

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/25152599.council-responds-claims-durham-reform-councillors-already-quit/

Here's one confirmed: https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/25154349.durham-reform-uk-benfieldside-councillor-andrew-kilburn-resigns/

Reform councillors are all about the bantz! This is Barry Martin, a councillor from Staffordshire, who after one meeting is wondering if he wants to actually do the hard yards of running things, as he "doesn't do dull and boring".

Actually I think it would be a shame if he stepped down. With his level of erudition he would surely be a natural choice as Higher Education Minister in a future Reform government.

Charles Pugsley, elected councillor (Reform), elected member for Children’s Services, including SEND.
Holding to account senior LA officers, with years and years of experience in senior social work, educational psychology and education.

https://democracy.leics.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=11866

Plus he’s Chairman of the Leics and Rutland Community Safety Board accordingly to that link. Perhaps he some sort of child prodigy? 🤔

Not so sure about ‘child prodigy’…🤔

Remove ‘prodigy’ and just over a year ago, he was definitely a ‘child’…😆

So today we have Richard Tice and his comments re LGPS. Reform are a complete shit show!

From Unison

If Mr Tice really does believe in cutting taxpayer costs, then shouldn’t all five Reform UK MPs withdraw from the MPs’ generous, and expensive, defined benefit (DB) pension scheme?

I think Mr Tice might find this is illegal.

Anyone working for a local authority is by law entitled to join the LGPS. So without any law making ability Reform will struggle to stop new starters joining.

Local government pay settlements are negotiated nationally so Reform will have a hard time changing them for their individual councils.

Other than that, crack on.

The 💩/🤡 show continues.

Monday: Reform announces 28-year-old computer programmer with no local government experience to investigate council finances. Anyone who resists will be fired for gross misconduct.

Thursday: 28-year-old computer programmer resigns, along with party chairman.

What an absolute farce.

Our Nige likes a laugh doesn't he? Let's count their councillors - and their reforms - in 6 months. 😅

I'm in Derbyshire, latest LA SEND Ofsted and CQC was appalling, serious failings. Contacted newly elected Reform councillor with responsibility for SEND and education asked of his knowledge and experience and he once worked in a nursery and after school club with particular responsibility for parent handovers. Asked that he contact LA SEND dept on my behalf as it is impossible to elicit a response and he has avoided me since.

Reform councillor resigns after persistent racist harassment of his black neighbours.

"A neighbour told this newspaper that he shouted the word ‘n***’ at her repeatedly, said he would set the far-right English Defence League on her and told her there’d be ‘black body bags’"

I wish I believed that his fellow Reform councillors will be shocked by this. Sadly, I suspect the message from most of them will be "Bad luck, mate".

I think there’ll be a lot of strikes and work to rule. Unlike the US, UK council workers are highly unionised and Reform will soon find out the can’t just sack worker’s without reasonable grounds.

In Derbyshire Reform have just closed 5 adult education centres without public consultation or even with a panel meeting. Cllr with responsibility for education did it unilaterally. They are demanding that everyone is in the office three days a week and doing spot checks to enforce this.

I bet there’s a fair bit of buyers’ remorse in Derbyshire. And it’s only been four months.