The Liberal Democrats have won a council by-election which saw Reform withdraw support for its candidate over offensive social media posts.
Zetland ward voters elected Alison Barnes to Teesside’s Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council on Thursday, following the resignation of Independent councillor Jonny Neal.
Lib Dems win by-election after Reform controversy, BBC
Tag: Liberal Democrats
Reform UK leader defends £190k-per-year plan to bring in political assistants at Warwickshire County Council
The interim leader of Warwickshire County Council has defended plans to bring in political assistants costing up to £190,000 per year in the face of outrage from other parties.
Councillor George Finch (Reform UK, Bedworth Central) confirmed he had instigated the proposals that will be considered by all councillors next week.
They would see the biggest three parties at Shire Hall – Reform, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives – have a dedicated council officer to “undertake research and provide administrative support to members of political groups in the discharge of any of their (council) functions”, although the Lib Dems have spoken out to object to the idea.
National legislation allows councils to employ up to three people, one for each of the council’s three biggest groups provided they have at least 10 per cent of the seats available.
Reform UK leader defends £190k-per-year plan to bring in political assistants at Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire World
Kent DOLTS: First with the year old public KCC report…
This hot in from the Reform UK Kent DOLTS (Department Of Looking Terminally Stupid) team, presumably the first outcome of their clever, clever AI deep dive into the top secret numbers from their interrogation on Monday.
Except it’s no such thing. This is a direct read from a KCC report to KCC Audit Committee in May 2024 (so it’s over a year old, talking about older things) which Kent’s processes and audit found, reported, made public, discussed and sought to improve.
Kent DOLTS: First with the year old public KCC report…, Tim Prater, fhld.uk
Does reform not know how councils work that it threatens our privacy?
Kent County Councillor, Tim Prater of the Liberal Democrats, has roundly condemned Reform’s latest attempt to emulate Donald Trump.
In a letter to Kent County Council (KCC) signed by Linden Kemkaran (KCC leader for Reform), Nigel Farage, and Zia Yusuf, Reform have demanded access to all KCC data (even sensitive information about residents) for a group of unelected persons that Reform has chosen not to let the public know about.
Cllr Prater called it an “attack on Kent by Reform UK national leadership”.
This embarrassing, threatening and totally misjudged letter to Kent County Council tonight is an attack on Kent by Reform UK national leadership, countersigned by their new Kent leader who clearly doesn’t have a clue.
Anyone with the first understanding of how local Government has worked for the last 30 years knows the information they request is almost all public anyway. I suggest their highly expert DOGE team try “googling a bit”.
The rest is either subject to the same FOI constraints as apply to the public or other Councillors. To suggest there is top secret information here is nonsense on shifts, brought to you by people who have no understanding of how any public organisation in this country works. Mainly because they have never worked within local government in this country.
The irony that they have not released the “appended” list of “DOGE” representatives who should be given access to any data they imagine is interesting is not lost on us. They can ask for information on millions of Kent residents, thousands of Kent employees, but you won’t even tell us who they are?
The Lib Dems stand with Kent residents, and Kent County Council staff.
There is a process. That process includes the Council meetings your administration have cancelled at KCC over the next 3 weeks. They can ask for information in a public and democratically accountable way. You might not understand the process, but that’s your fault, not theirs.
DOGE in the USA just fell apart, having failed to find much of interest or actual saving, making a highly embarrassing series of blunders, some life threatening, and its leader Musk slamming the most recent Government bill and then quitting to spend more time with his failing business. To visit that pain on Kent is to hold us in contempt. We say no.
Liberal Democrat Cllr Tim Prater, via Facebook
Political CUSTARD: Reform Run Kent County Council Becomes Kent County Cancel In The Hands Of Ex Tory Linden Kemkaren
Reform accused of ‘paralysing’ Kent Council amid spate of cancelled meetings
“This isn’t Reform. It’s paralysis.”
The Lib Dems have accused Reform UK of causing ‘paralysis’ at Kent Council, after the party cancelled multiple scrutiny meetings this month.
The Reform-run council held its first full county council meeting on 22 May, when it elected its new leader and appointed a cabinet. Since then, Reform has cancelled or postponed several scheduled committee meetings.
Nigel Farage’s party took 57 out of 81 Kent County Council seats at the local elections on 1 May.
Folkestone and Hythe Lib Dems said in a statement that Reform has also yet to confirm which, if any, scrutiny committees will be formed.
The statement said: “For the first three weeks of June, there were FIVE committee meetings timetabled. FOUR have been cancelled.”
Reform has cancelled committee meetings on topics including health, planning, and governance so far.
Reform accused of ‘paralysing’ Kent Council amid spate of cancelled meetings, leftfootforward.org