Councils now run by Reform - end of the beginning or beginning of the end?

[boys3]

So after 1st May Local Elections Reform have outright control of ten top tier Councils, and are the largest, or close to the largest party, in a number of others.

How will they get on do we think? Suddenly having responsibility and accountability for real stuff.

Just for a bit of context the recent National Audit Office report on Local Government in England.
https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/local-government-financial-sustainability-2025/?nab=2

These are the Councils they won outright. Number of seats they won and total seats on each Council, plus a link to the more detailed results. Some of the Councils have really good info sets with clear summaries and maps showing who won where. Others are a bit more basic. These councils deliver services for some 8 million people

Derbyshire
42/64 Derbyshire Results

Doncaster

37/55 Doncaster Results

County Durham
65/98 Durham Results

Kent

57/81 Kent Results

Lancashire
53/84 Lancashire Resuts

Lincolnshire

44/70 Lincolnshire Results

North Northants
39/68 North Northants Results

2 seats pending as ward election postponed due to death of a candidate

Nottinghamshire
40/66 Nottinghamshire Results
2 seats pending as ward election postponed due to death of a candidate

Staffordshire
49/62 Staffordshire Results

West Northants
42/76 West Northants Results

There are then 4 Councils where they are the largest party but short of a majority. Will Cons, or others, support them in any of these to give control? Or will others, incl Cons, coalesce to prevent that? We'll soon find out. If anyone knows already post away!

Cornwall 28/87. Cons have 7 seats so even combined well short of a majority. Lib Dems won 26 seats. I think more likely that Lib Dems will get support from sufficient Independents (19), Green (3) and Lab (4) to form an adminstration.
Cornwall Results

Leicestershire 25/55, so 3 short. Cons have 15 seats. So could easily support a Reform led adminstration. Or would they join with Lib Dems (11), Lab (2), Green (1) and Indie (1) to create a coalition administration that keeps Reform out?
Leicestershire Results

Warwickshire 23/57 so 5 short, Cons then have 9 seats, so could support to provide a majority. Lib Dems 14, Greens 7, Lab 3, Indie 1 - combined 25 so again short of a majority, Which way will Cons go?
Warwickshire Results

Worcestershire 27/57 so 2 short. Cons then have 12 seats, so could support to provide a majority. Or could join with the Greens (8), Lib Dems (6), Lab (2) and Indie (2) to thwart a Reform led Council. Equally only needs 2 of the 12 Cons to side with Reform to give them a majority and control though
Worcestshire Results

Of the remaining hung councils:

Northumberland Cons won 26/69, then Reform with 23, So the two combined have a comfortable majority, Or would the Cons look for support from 9 from Lab (8) Indie (7) Lib Dem (3) and Green (2) and avoid Reform. Northumberland Results

Buckinghamshire. Cons have 48/97 so 1 short of a majority. Reform only have 3 seats, but Cons only need support of 1. Equaly 1 of the 13 independents may provide that support. Buckinghamshire Results

In the others Devon, Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire support from Lab and Greens would give the Lib Dems control in each.
Hertfordshire Results
Gloucestshire Results
Devon Results

Lastly Wiltshire all down it seems to the Indies (7). Lib Dems have 43/98. Cons have 37 seats and Reform 10. Wiltshire Results

The final 3 Councils contested last Thursday all delivered Lib Dem majorities - Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire and Shropshire

I think people forget Farage is a disruptive person, he's not bothered about services. His sole aim will be to destabilise government from a local level.

But I'll say this that the conservatives and Labour have a poor record on running services. Many local authorities have out sourced library services.....what does it say when a council can't even run a library.

Farage and his men are promising the moon on a stick, on the basis that they (hope they) will never actually have to deliver it. They are saying what people want to hear; they’re not even thinking about the reality. And nobody is thinking to ask them. They are enjoying dismantling government from the sidelines. If, heaven forbid, Farage actually got in, he would be a total rabbit in the headlights. Lots of people thought Brexit would never happen: probably even Farage himself was surprised.

Boris Johnson was the same. He was not interested in the reality of being prime minister: he just wanted the badge, and to rise higher and higher. World King wouldn’t have been enough for him: he was hoping to become God.

Both he and Farage know what to say to appease the public; whether it is actually possible or desirable is irrelevant to them. The public just can’t see that. Politicians simply don’t live in the same world as the rest of us, especially if they are wealthy, as both Johnson and Farage (and most of them) are.

Going well in Durham I see, a council which hasn't made it to Rotten Boroughs in many years.

what does it say when a council can't even run a library.

That it’s underfunded.

Kent

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpw70j1k540o

Taxpayer money being siphoned to their millionaire chums, then. That's not going to be a cheap exercise.

Brazen.

Hopefully there is some legal recourse against this. I'm not sure who by, though. It wouldn't be the remit of the local government ombudsman and from cursory reading, local government oversight appears to be performed by councils themselves. There has to at least be issues with data protection and security clearance.

And how the hell are software engineers even remotely qualified to look at government resources, procedures and finances?

Not sure if you intended to post that kitten @dubsie or if it just crept on to the thread of its own accord, but it is the only thing on the whole thread that has actually made me smile.

@DuncinToffee is doing a grand job of gathering and collating all of the links though.

Apparently Kent county council got a letter from Reform (signed by the Kent CC leader, party chairman and Farage) setting out the scope. And ending with a threat / indication (unintended) that they don’t have the first idea.

“Should you resist this request, we’re ready to pass a council motion to compel the same and will consider any obstruction of our councillors’ duties to be gross misconduct. We trust this won’t be required.”

Good.

I hope reform win the next election I am voting for them.

Kent mainly seems to be cancelling many of their scheduled committee meetings.

https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx?GL=1&bcr=1

I wonder if that’s total contempt for democracy and accountability, can’t be arsed to show up or blind panic? Obviously it might be all three. The officers must tearing their hair out.

Probably all three plus a healthy dose of sheer incompetence thrown in for good measure.

https://bylinetimes.com/2025/06/02/reform-led-kent-council-cancels-swathes-of-meetings-amid-claims-they-dont-know-what-theyre-doing/

so far it seems all they have managed to do is increase costs.

What is it about the incompetence and lack of professionalism showcased on this thread makes you feel that you want to vote for Reform, @cheekychips826.

Don't forget that these meetings are soooooo booooooring. Half this lot probably spent a good chunk of their school days in detention for arsing about in class or not doing their homework.

Reform's doge team

https://bsky.app/profile/henryriley1.bsky.social/post/3lqmqmfkric2l

Reform UK’s ‘British DOGE’

• Led by 28 year old entrepreneur Nathanial Fried
• There are 5 members
• Businessman Arron Banks is an adviser
• Launched at Kent County Council today with Zia Yusuf
• Team will visit all Reform UK led councils to identify ‘wasteful spending’

@lbc.co.uk

@MrsBennetsPoorNerves I want immigration reduced to zero.

The other 2 parties that keep getting voted in keep making things worse with everything not just immigration

You want immigration reduced to zero? That's pretty radical.

How do you envisage that the NHS would function without immigrants? Would it bother you if universities had to close without the income that they get from international students or if tuition fees for home students were massively increased? How would you go about recruiting British workers into the roles that are typically filled by immigrants at the moment, e.g. in agriculture, in hospitality, in the social care sector etc.

Fucking Aaron Banks again?🤦‍♀️

Looks like the only thing Reform is doing is wasting money. So much of it.

That top comment 🤣

Well that's awkward 😬

I want immigration reduced to zero.

That's never going to happen so you're voting for a unicorn.

A by-election to decide the final vacant seat on Durham County Council is set to take place on 3 July, following the resignation of a Reform UK councillor.

The by-election will cost Durham County Council £22,800

First of many. Election cost, lack of representation for a period for that ward, individual training costs for each new councillor. I think I know where their DOGEs need to focus.

They just need to buy a mirror.