Reform-led councils are in chaos as meetings cancelled

Councils taken over by Reform UK have been left in a state of paralysis” as dozens of key meetings are cancelled and newly elected councillors fail to show up.

- ATHENA STAVROU

Nigel Farage’s party won huge victories in May’s local council elections, gaining control of nine councils and minority control in a further three. However, opposition councillors have claimed organisation and productivity have been a “shambles” since the election, with some claiming the Reform representatives “do not know what they’re doing”.

Across the 12 Reform-controlled councils, 33 meetings have been cancelled or postponed within the first nine weeks since the election. Additionally, at least 21 Reform councillors have missed their first meetings, despite the majority of these only having had one meeting to attend in their first month.

The worst-affected councils are Kent and Nottinghamshire, where Reform holds 57 and 39 seats respectively. In Kent, nine out of the 22 meetings – 40 per cent – scheduled have been cancelled since the election up to 4 July. That compares to just 15 per cent in 2024.

These include legally required meetings such as the governance and audit committee, a crucial part of local government structures, ensuring accountability and transparency of the council’s finances.

Other meetings, such as the police and crime panel, were cancelled as membership of the committee was yet to be confirmed - something opposition councillors say suggests their Reform counterparts “are not ready or prepared” for their roles.