'Reform UK goals may be difficult to implement'

REFORM UK has won a sweeping mandate for change in Lincolnshire, winning the mayoral and county council elections in a landslide. The party has found success railing against immigration, wasteful spending and Net Zero projects.

- BY JAMIE WALLER Local Democracy Reporter

However, a Lincolnshire politics expert says many of its goals might prove difficult to implement on a local level. Professor Andrew Defty, a professor of politics at the University of Lincoln, spoke about what the party can and can't achieve now it's in power.

"Reform have talked a lot about national issues like immigration or energy, which neither the mayor or the county council have control of," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. "Now they have power, they will need to recalibrate and focus on delivering local services which people expect."

Rejecting asylum seekers

The housing of asylum seekers has proved a flashpoint in Lincolnshire - first in hotels in towns such as Skegness, and then at the former RAF Scampton.

Reform's leaders have spoken about councils stopping asylum seekers from being housed in the county, which is handled by the Home Office.

"Councils can be helpful or resistant - they might not have the power to say they don't want them in their areas, but if they push back I suspect they can make it more difficult," said Professor Defty. "I don't think Lincolnshire is shouldering a huge portion of the burden."

Cutting spending and lowering taxes