Welcome to our Council Watch page, where we gather the latest news on what’s happening at Reform UK’s councils in the UK. Just a reminder that these councils are Derbyshire, Doncaster, Durham, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, West Northamptonshire. We’re also keeping an eye on what other Reform UK councillors are doing across the whole country.
Warning: this could become the longest blog post in history!
Reform Council Controversies
Northumberland. 25 Nov 2025 · Councillor ordered by court to pay £38,000 debt to his own council
Reform councillor, Barry Elliot, was ordered by the court to pay £38,000 in debt to Northumberland County Council after non-payment of council tax and business rates between 2020 and 2025.
Source: Chronicle Live
Lancashire. 19 Nov 2025 · Councillor suspended over WhatsApp group featuring extremist posts
Reform councillor, Tom Pickup, was suspended by the party after he was found to be a participant in a far-right WhatsApp group in which other members had called for “mass Islam genocide”. He was the council’s lead member for resources and finance. An investigation is underway.
Source: The Guardian
Kent· 11 Nov 2025 · Mystery departure of yet another Reform UK councillor
Cllr Dean Burns, who represents Ashford East is now sitting as a backbencher. No official announcement was made but it has been speculated that it could be linked to the leaked video meeting. It is understood he remains a part of the Reform group.
Source: Kent Online
Kent· 6 Nov 2025 · Councillor ousted from party over leaked video meeting
Councillor Isabella Kemp was booted out of the party on the 6th November 2025 for her part in the leaked video meeting. The video, which was leaked to The Guardian, showed KCC’s Reform UK leader Linden Kemkaran swearing and shouting during a council meeting. Kemp was reported to be exploring legal action.
Source: BBC News
Staffordshire · Nov 2025 · Councillor apologises for “disgusting” historic tweets
Reform councillor Peter Mason apologised for offensive historic posts about Black women and the police that surfaced after his election, with opponents arguing the remarks were incompatible with public office.
Source: Yahoo News UK
North Northamptonshire · 7 Nov 2025 · Project overspends: Market Square & mortuary costs escalate
Local reporting highlighted legal disputes and rising costs on the Kettering Market Square revamp and a new public mortuary, with opposition figures questioning financial controls and oversight.
Source: NN Journal
Kent · 6 Nov 2025 · Suspensions and legal threats rock Reform group
After the leak saga, Reform UK suspended additional councillors at Kent County Council; the group also faced legal action from former members alleging defamation, deepening internal turmoil.
Sources: The Guardian | Isle of Thanet News | Financial Times
Lancashire · 6 Nov 2025 · Legal threat over conflict-of-interest allegation
Following the care home closures plan, a Reform cabinet member threatened legal action after an opposition councillor raised concerns about his co-ownership of a care firm, intensifying scrutiny of governance.
Source: The Lead
Lancashire · 5 Nov 2025 · Plan to close care homes and day centres to save £4m
A formal proposal to shut five care homes and five day centres triggered outrage and conflict-of-interest questions over the adult social care cabinet member’s links to a private provider.
Source: The Guardian
Nottinghamshire · 24 Oct 2025 · Council plans £75,000 flag-installation spend amid criticism
The Reform UK-led Nottinghamshire County Council proposed spending £75,000 to install 164 new flags—costing about £475 each—across its buildings. The plan attracted criticism from opposition groups and residents, who questioned the timing and justification of the expenditure during a period of financial pressure on local services.
Source: BBC News
Kent · 23 Oct 2025 · Multiple formal complaints after video leak
Further reporting detailed official complaints lodged by Reform councillors about leadership conduct and decision-making in the aftermath of the leaked meeting video.
Source: KentOnline
Kent · 18 Oct 2025 · Leaked video shows leader telling colleagues to “suck it up”
A leaked online meeting captured the council leader using coarse language and muting critics, prompting a wave of complaints and claims of chaotic leadership within Reform’s flagship county group.
Source: The Guardian
Lancashire · 14 Oct 2025 · Fury over review of 10 council-run elderly care facilities
Families and opposition councillors accused the council of preparing closures “by stealth” after a review of ten care homes and day centres; leaders insisted no decisions had yet been taken.
Source: Blog Preston
Nottinghamshire · 2 Oct 2025 · Council lifts month-long ban on reporters
Under legal and public pressure, the authority reversed its prohibition on Nottingham Post/Nottinghamshire Live reporters’ access, though questions remained over engagement with critical media.
Source: The Guardian
Nottinghamshire · 1 Oct 2025 · Councils decry “rushed” reorganisation report
Two Nottinghamshire councils criticised the early release of a draft Local Government Reorganisation report showing two-thirds of residents opposed changes, inflaming a politically charged debate about restructuring.
Source: Nottinghamshire County Council (newsroom)
Nottinghamshire · 30 Sept 2025 · Newspaper takes legal action over the ban
Publisher Reach initiated legal action alleging breaches of local government law and Article 10 ECHR following the ban on Nottinghamshire Live/Nottingham Post reporters, increasing pressure on the council leadership.
Source: The Guardian
Doncaster · 24 Sept 2025 · Reform councillor stripped of whip over airport-linked company
A Reform councillor was removed from the party whip and another resigned a scrutiny role after setting up a company allegedly positioned to bid for airport-related council contracts, raising conflict-of-interest concerns.
Sources: Doncaster Free Press | Yorkshire Post
Doncaster · 20 Sept 2025 · Mayor loses symbolic no-confidence vote amid airport row
In the long-running dispute over Doncaster Sheffield Airport, councillors passed a non-binding no-confidence motion in Labour Mayor Ros Jones, tabled by Reform’s group leader, escalating tensions over the council’s approach.
Source: Thorne Times
North Northamptonshire · 28 Aug 2025 · Plan to purge 3,000+ from housing register
The authority proposed removing more than three thousand people from the housing waiting list on the basis that their prospects of being housed were “unrealistic,” prompting anger from campaigners.
Source: NN Journal
Nottinghamshire · 27 Aug 2025 · Press freedom row as leader bans local journalists
The council’s Reform leader barred Nottinghamshire Live/Nottingham Post reporters, a move condemned by the Society of Editors as “profoundly wrong” and contrary to open government principles.
Source: Society of Editors
Durham · 27 Aug 2025 · Deputy leader accused of “inciting racism and hate”
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness condemned posts shared by deputy leader Darren Grimes as “hideous,” after he circulated a video on X that drew widespread criticism from politicians and community groups.
Source: ITV News Tyne Tees
West Northamptonshire · 20 Aug 2025 · “Sustainability refocus” confirms removal of targets
Following scrutiny, the authority confirmed it would proceed with removing local climate targets and pivot toward “practical projects,” while noting that national 2050 obligations still apply.
Source: West Northamptonshire Council (official)
West Northamptonshire · 23 Jul 2025 · Report claims climate terms scrubbed while taking green funds
An investigation alleged the council was removing terms like “climate change” and “net zero” from documentation while continuing to receive government green grants, provoking accusations of hypocrisy.
Source: Byline Times
West Northamptonshire · 17 Jul 2025 · Council scraps local net-zero targets
West Northamptonshire voted to abolish its 2030 and 2045 net-zero targets as unaffordable, drawing significant protest outside the meeting and criticism that the authority was backsliding on climate commitments.
Source: Northampton Chronicle & Echo
Durham · 16 Jul 2025 · Council scraps its climate emergency declaration
Durham became the first UK authority to rescind a climate emergency, replacing it with a “care emergency,” a move that triggered protests and warnings from campaigners about the impact on funding and climate projects.
Source: The Guardian
Durham · 3 Jul 2025 · Police deny telling deputy leader to stop surgeries
Durham Police rejected deputy leader Darren Grimes’s claim that officers advised him to halt in-person surgeries on safety grounds, sparking allegations he misled the public about the rationale for scaling back meetings.
Source: Byline Times
Lincolnshire · Jun 2025 · “Bridge to nowhere” row over stalled £50m road scheme
Funding shortfalls left sections of the Spalding Western Relief Road incomplete, with a costly bridge disconnected from the rest of the scheme; residents and opposition figures branded it a wasteful “bridge to nowhere.”
Source: The Times
Lincolnshire · 23 May 2025 · New leader under fire for historic social media post
The new Reform UK leader of Lincolnshire County Council faced scrutiny for an old tweet referencing circumcision and appearing to refer to being transgender, drawing criticism and questions about judgment days after taking office.
Source: ITV News
Staffordshire · 15 May 2025 · Councillor quits over post urging “volley of gunfire” at boats
Newly elected Reform councillor Wayne Titley resigned less than two weeks into office after a resurfaced social media post appeared to advocate gunfire against migrant boats, prompting immediate condemnation and his departure from the council group.
Source: ITV News Central
Shropshire · 5 May 2025 · Newly-elected Councillor resigns after being suspended
Donna Edmunds, who represents Hodnet in Shropshire, was suspended after she posted on X about her plans to defect from the party. She was upset with the party’s suspension of Rupert Lowe. She said she had only stayed on the 1st May ballot paper as the party could not find an alternative candidate.
Source: BBC News
Warwickshire · 5 May 2025 · Reform candidate unable to sit as member of party grouping due to restrictions related to his employment.
Luke Shingler holds the record for leaving a Reform group of councillors the quickest by announcing he could not sit as a Reform councillor even before election day. He apparently realised too late to take his affiliation off the ballot paper.
Source: BBC News
