At least 15 Reform councillors have been suspended, expelled or quit since May
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice insists there is ‘no chaos’ at Durham County Council or other Reform-run councils, despite councillor suspensions and resignations.
In an interview with the BBC, Tice dismissed the idea that Reform had caused chaos in County Durham. This is despite two councillors having resigned shortly after the local elections and another recently having been suspended.
Reform councillor Andrew Kilburn had to step down on 12 May, as he failed to declare he was a council employee, which is a breach of the rules. In June, councillor John Bailey resigned, citing a serious health issue.
Most recently, Reform suspended councillor Paul Bean after an investigation found he worked for the Home Office, and had been sharing social media posts claiming asylum seekers abuse the system.
The civil service code requires civil servants to maintain political impartiality. Bean has since been suspended from his job at the Home Office while an investigation is carried out.
Despite all of this, Tice said: “There’s no chaos, there is success. We are saving money, identifying waste and voters like that.”
He added: “I’ve been up in Sunderland recently, so has our chairman Dr David Bull, we are getting massive support and I think people will in a sense want to benefit from the great success we are achieving in County Durham cutting out waste”.
In June, Reform announced that its Donald Trump-style Department of Local Government Efficiency would audit Durham County Council.
DOLGE, run by former chair of Reform Zia Yusuf, has so far yet to report any savings.
Meanwhile, leader of the council Andrew Husband recently made a plea to the government for more funding, as Durham County Council faces a £20 million deficit next year.
Husband, who is a company director, has seen three of his companies fail since the May elections, leaving debts of around £1.7 million.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
Left Foot Forward doesn't have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.