'Asleep at the wheel? No! We're working hard behind the scenes'

Reform council leader vows results will be seen ‘soon’ after 100 days in top job

- Phil Corrigan

REFORM UK says it is ‘working hard behind the scenes’ as it marks 100 days in charge of Staffordshire County Council.

Nigel Farage’s party won a landslide victory in May’s elections, taking 49 of the 62 seats and ending 16 years of Conservative rule.

Reform promised a new approach, saving taxpayers money and ending ‘woke’ policies. Three months on, opposition councillors say there has been little to show for this, accusing Reform of being ‘asleep at the wheel!

But council leader Ian Cooper insists Reform has been putting in the ‘hard miles, and the results will become evident soon. Reform includes an ‘internal efficiency review, which it says will identify key savings, as among its achievements.

‘This is separate to the ‘DOGE’ unit being sent into Reform-run councils by the national party, which has yet to visit Staffordshire. Cllr Cooper said a report on the efficiency review would be published in the autumn.

He said: “We've gone through every department within the council, and that process will conclude shortly in the next few weeks. We have gone through every element of the council and looked for all the efficiencies and savings that we can bring.