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Reform UK’s Manchester mayoral candidate Sian Astley owns 17 rental properties

The Reform candidate complained about plans to make landlords pay national insurance on their rental income

Olivia Barber · 2 mins read

Reform UK’s Manchester mayoral candidate Sian Astley is a landlord, with a property portfolio of 17 flats.

Reform announced Astley as their mayoral candidate in the contest to replace Andy Burnham yesterday.

In a Times article from August 2025, Astley was quoted complaining about Labour’s proposal to make landlords pay national insurance on their rental income.

In the end, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves decided against requiring landlords to pay NI.

In the piece, the Reform candidate complained about being “increasingly out of pocket” due to “relentless tax rises” by the government, which she claimed were attempting to “drive her out of the profession”.

Astley told The Times she owns 17 flats in south Manchester. 

Speaking to the outlet, she said: “As a professional landlord looking after 17 units across three buildings, built from scratch, and housing our lovely tenants at reasonable rents for over 20 years, we’re not considered to be ‘working people’ by Labour — but, at the same time, the work we do is considered worthy of endless punitive taxation.”

Astley also works as an interior designer and is a newly-elected Reform councillor on Manchester City Council for Baguley ward.

On her Instagram profile, she also refers to herself as an Airbnb super host.

In a recent post on her Facebook profile, Astley claimed refugees are “economic migrants, who illegally crossed into the UK”, adding that they are “proven dangers and risks to women and girls”.

In another post, she personally blamed Andy Burnham for anti-social behaviour and drug dealing incidents in Fallowfield, Manchester.

Astley used strongly-worded language, writing: “One of Burnham’s legacies in M14 & M20 in Manchester: constant ASB, hard drug dealing on the streets, crack smoking on the pavements and abuse from off-their-heads junkies”.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

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