A Reform UK councillor in Leicestershire has defected to a new party recently launched by MP Rupert Lowe.
Charles Whitford, previously a member of Leicestershire County Council’s cabinet, announced he had moved to Restore Britain on Thursday.
Reform UK councillor defects to Restore Britain, BBC
Tag: Leicestershire
Reform UK council leaders divert so-called ‘Net Stupid Zero’ cash to tackle flooding
One opposition councillor claimed decisions were being based on ‘allusions to the Roman Empire’
Millions of pounds are to be reallocated from council efforts to fight climate change. Leicestershire County Council’s new Reform UK leaders voted this week to divert £2 million from carbon reduction initiatives into efforts to mitigate flooding and other severe weather events.
Reform UK council leaders divert so-called ‘Net Stupid Zero’ cash to tackle flooding, leicestermercury.co.uk
Leicestershire social workers object to Reform policy they fear ‘promotes exclusion and marginalisation’
Removing these flags promotes exclusion and marginalisation – it implies people represented by those flags are not welcome
More than 100 Leicestershire social workers have spoken out against a new Reform UK policy they fear “promotes exclusion and marginalisation”. Their comments follow a decision by Reform to change which flags can fly at the Leicestershire County Council headquarters, in Glenfield.
The new policy means that community flags, such as the Pride flag and the disabled people’s flag, will not automatically be raised in the inner quadrangle at County Hall to celebrate events and celebration days. Instead, a decision will be taken by the chief executive “following consultation with the leader of the council”, the party’s Dan Harrison, over whether they can fly or not, leading some to fear they will not be flown going forward.
Some 102 social workers at the council have now written to councillors and the new Reform cabinet to “loudly” and “overwhelmingly” oppose the change in policy. They said they felt that flying community flags was a “vitally important” symbol from the council that it was “supportive of marginalised groups”.
Leicestershire social workers object to Reform policy they fear ‘promotes exclusion and marginalisation’, www.leicestermercury.co.uk
Reform council brings in ‘British values’ flag rules
Leicestershire County Council’s new Reform leadership has scrapped the authority’s flag flying policy in its first cabinet meeting.
The move, approved at a meeting on Thursday, means a previously agreed schedule of flags to be displayed outside County Hall in Glenfield has been discontinued.
The list included flags to mark events celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Gypsy Roma and Traveller History Month and Windrush Day.
New Reform council leader Dan Harrison said the changes to flag flying protocols were “to celebrate British values that unite us all”.
Some staff groups at the council, where Reform formed a minority administration following May’s local elections, raised concerns about the move.
Harrison described the eight-minute cabinet meeting, which had only the flag flying policy on the agenda, as “historic”.
Reform council brings in ‘British values’ flag rules, BBC
Reform councillors aged 19 and 22 in charge of children’s and adult services at local authority
Social workers raise questions over clash of values and lack of experience of new lead members at Leicestershire County Council
Concerns are mounting over the appointment of two Reform councillors as political leads for children’s and adults services in Leicestershire.
Joseph Boam, 22, now heads up adult social care at Leicestershire County Council (LCC), and Charles Pugsley, 19, who is still at university, has been made cabinet member for children and family services.
The pair were appointed following the local elections in May, and are responsible for multi-million pound budgets.
Reform councillors aged 19 and 22 in charge of children’s and adult services at local authority, basw.co.uk
New Leicestershire Reform councillor was fired from police force
New Leicestershire Reform councillor was fired from police force
His actions were branded ‘deliberate’ and ‘for personal advantage’
A newly elected Leicestershire councillor was fired from his previous job with Leicestershire Police. Andrew Hamilton-Gray, one of the new county councillors for Loughborough, was sacked by the force in January 2024 following a misconduct hearing.
New Leicestershire Reform councillor was fired from police force, leicestermercury.co.uk