ADHD to cycle lanes

How Reform may try to change English councils

- Ben Quinn Patrick Butler

Nigel Farage's Reform UK is now in charge of a number of councils across England, including 10 where it has overall control.

Its haul of 677 council seats also means it is on the brink of power in at least four others where it emerged as the largest party. In addition, it has two regional mayoralties - Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire - with budgets and powers.

But the coming to power of the rightwing populist party also means, for the first time, that its promises to radically reshape Britain will be tested and felt by communities. Here are some of the areas where there could be change:

Net zero

Major solar and wind energy projects face threats from Reform-controlled councils whose members are instinctively hostile to net zero policies.

"We will attack, we will hinder, we will delay, we will obstruct, we will put every hurdle in your way," said the party's deputy leader, Richard Tice, of such projects.

A solar farm in Romney Marsh, Kent, which could power 20% of homes in the county, is in the crosshairs of the party, which controls the council. In Staffordshire, a proposed windfarm in the county's moorlands area and a solar farm in Cheadle will be opposed.

But Reform's plans will also meet hostility from within communities. In Greater Lincolnshire, net zero industries contribute about £980m to the local economy, accounting for 12,209 jobs, according to analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

Legally, the picture is also unclear. Reform could try to block pylons and large solar farms through the judicial review process, though the new planning and infrastructure bill aims to make the challenges harder.

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