What Reform MUST do at local level to get to Number 10
Certain battles may be won, but the war has just begun
2/5/25 - Two Five Two Five. The day the political revolution began that will see the first new party take office in the UK for one hundred years.
As councils up and down the country are turned by the Turquoise Tide, many men and women with Reform rosettes will find themselves reborn political animals. Many may never have served in politics before.
The challenge facing any entryist insurgent entity isn't in the campaigning. The hard part will be in the governing. And with so many newbies among the ranks and a public quick to dump any party failing to deliver on promises, Reform's challenge of proving the pudding in the eating must not be underestimated.
First off, there will be scrutiny like never before. Most local governance tends to fall under the radar of the media. Apart from dedicated regional hacks, the inefficiencies, waste and corruption that blights local services is only really exposed when an authority tumbles into bankruptcy - or is put under ‘special measures.’ But I have a feeling the remaining councillors from the legacy parties now sitting under Reform control will have been instructed to dig up dirt and monitor their every move, and increasingly tales from The Shires will find themselves in national rags. Vigilance will be key.
Secondly, the two boldest deliverables will be a tall order. Blocking migrant accommodation in the area. Stopping a central government juggernaut at local level is a tough ask. The Home Office has been essentially dumping so-called asylum seekers onto local authorities and then providing woefully inadequate funding to manage them.
It is central government buck-passing of the tallest order.
But those who voted Reform expressly on this issue will want to see significant indicators that a serious push-back is underway. The party has revealed it is already conducting preliminary legal inquiries with a team of lawyers.
The two big questions are:
1.Who will pay for any judicial review and does the local authority budget have enough in the kitty to subsume what could end up a vast bill?
2. Can Reform UK Councillors effectively communicate the efforts made against ‘The Blob’ if unsuccessful? If it looks simply like splashing hard-to-come-by cash with zero result, the optics need to be stellar. Not that I disagree with the policy. They must push for local autonomy on this key issue and I pray for their success.
The second core pillar is the ‘Dogeing’ of the books.
We all know local authorities are skint. We also know that by going after overpaid or vanity roles some money can be clawed back. But this opens up councils to the risk of tribunals which themselves can bankrupt the budget. In many areas where money is too tight to mention, it was a slew of equal pay cases and settlements that totalled the budgets.
Those DEI officers and 6 figure execs are unlikely to go down without a fight, which adds another burden onto struggling services and will be used by opponents to attack Reform waste instead.
The party may be able to forge a partnership with The Taxpayers Alliance, albeit a think tank with Tory connections straight into the nexus of their conniving power base.
Again, communications will be key. Highlighting what is being attempted and firmly exposing the barriers to success. The party may consider developing a media strategy that can address these issues, be it websites that update on progress and delivery or regular press conferences to do the same. Harnessing the power of social media will also be key.
I would think it could also be of great value to dig down deep on any corruption. In order to frame the dichotomy of new, yet inexperienced hands versus old and wiley ones, being able to point to baked in operatives knowing how to game the system will be essential.
Who is signing those contracts?
Are they value for money?
Are their personal connections?
Is there kompromat?
It may be an idea for Reform to establish a Guido-style blog where it essentially whistleblows on its own authorities in order to condemn the malpractices of old and demonstrate competence does come with fresh governance.
The final key optic will be showing endeavour, industry and rejuvenation coming with a personnel change. It's all very well lobbing bricks at the rear view mirror, but what sets apart the Turquoise Toilers from their counterparts?
Rolling up sleeves at the weekend and filling in potholes and scrubbing off graffiti, finding 21st century ways to hold surgeries and be held accountable, being highly visible within the community and keeping communications open will all be vital, which means having local dedicated press officers in each and every region keeping the flow of positive information at full tilt.
It may feel like a lot to ask, but frankly this is how operations should have been conducted for decades. The fact that local authorities have largely gotten away without due scrutiny and without punishment for failure is a Red Flag on our democracy. And I do believe Reform intends to change all of that if the name is anything to go by.
But the eyes of the UK will be watching - and the path is not without significant booby traps.
Dedication and delivery must now be demonstrated.
I think there are several tacks I would take if I was in their un-enviable shoes. First I would be very public with what I find. If my education budget has been destroyed by having to contribute the VAT on some private students school fees because I can't provide them education in state schools (despite spending on more teachers, assistants, and porta-cabins), I would be clearly communicating that to the public. All the mismanagement and unfunded impacts of central government policy out in the open. Then I would be implementing local DOGE projects, and again, very publicly tracking progress. When hard decisions need to be made, again, publicly explain the thinking and decision making, and potentially get a local referendum process going where when faced with "we can do this, but it will mean we can't do that" type situations the locals get to vote on what they actually want via town/village council referendums. Set direction, uncover the misadministration, get the communities engaged with what will effect them where possible.
I'd add pushing back on everything connected with net zero, C40 cities, LTNs etc.