As Reform UK take official command of Warwickshire County Council tomorrow (Friday) no-one has the faintest notion how the party will run the authority

REFORM UK will take official command of Warwickshire County Council tomorrow (Friday) with no-one having the faintest notion of how the party will run the authority.

Although people have a rough idea of Reform’s policies at a national level, the party did not issue a manifesto for the county council elections on 1st May.

The only guide was a campaign launch speech from its leader Nigel Farage referring to potholes as “a symbol of broken Britain” and pledging to cut local government spending and root out waste.

After the elections Reform UK became the largest single party on Warwickshire County Council with 22 councillors, almost obliterating the previous ruling Conservatives but not winning overall control.

This means they can only govern with the help of other parties – and there are already tensions within the Conservative Party over its role in helping choose the new leader of the council, Cllr Rob Howard (Reform, Nuneaton).

One former Tory councillor in the Stratford district told the Herald that the Conservative Party was “at war” with Reform and should have nothing to do with them and a sitting county councillor said he did not take part in the vote to elect Cllr Howard because “their values are not my values”.

After four long weeks since the elections Cllr Howard will tomorrow appoint his cabinet of portfolio holders to oversee the council’s key areas such as finance and property, children and adult social care, education, highways and transport and Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The length of time Cllr Howard has taken to finally get round to choosing his cabinet has also come in for criticism – from the Liberal Democrats on the council.

Shortly before it was announced the Cllr Howard was selecting his cabinet tomorrow, the Lib Dems issued a statement criticising the length of time it was taking.

Cllr Jerry Roodhouse (Lib Dem, Rugby), leader of the increased contingent of 14 Lib Dem councillors on the council, said: “The absence of leadership comes at a particularly crucial time for the council. Inspections by the Care Quality Commission of the council’s adult social care services and by Ofsted of the council’s children and young people’s services are due in the next few weeks.

“These two areas are two of the most important services provided to residents in Warwickshire. The last full inspection by Ofsted was more than three years ago.

“One of the key questions the inspection teams will rightly ask is around leadership at the council.”

Cllr Roodhouse added: “This isn’t the change that residents were promised. It’s a vacuum, and it’s not fair to residents or staff that there’s no leadership in place.”

This week the Herald asked Cllr Chris Mills (Cons, Kineton and Red Horse) why he was the only Conservative county councillor to abstain in the vote to elect Cllr Howard as council leader.

Cllr Mills said: “There values are not my values; it’s as simple as that. I voted for the chairman with a heavy heart, but that’s not as important as the leader.”

And Trevor Russel, a former senior Conservative member of Stratford District Council representing Shipston, told the Herald: “The Conservatives don’t seem to recognise that they’re at war with Reform. You don’t sit down and work with these people. That’s my view.”

Meanwhile Cllr Howard – presumably along with other Reform council leaders – has received a letter from Bridget Phillipson, the Secretary of State for Education, seeking “urgent clarification” on his party’s plans for local special education needs and disabilities (SEND) services.

She said she’d been forced to seek this clarification because of comments made by Nigel Farage, who claimed that by diagnosing children with additional needs “we’re creating a class of victims…If you’re told you’re a victim, and you think you’re a victim, you are likely to stay [a victim].”

Ms Phillipson writes: “Through our Plan for Change, Labour has invested an additional £1 billion to support families and £740 million to create more school places for children with SEND.

“I am now seeking your assurances that this money, provided by the Labour government, will not be sacrificed for the sake of your party’s posturing and it will go where it is needed most – into improving services for families across our country.”

Since Cllr Howard became leader of the county council the Herald has made repeated requests for an interview with him. Yesterday (Wednesday) he responded by saying he apologised for the delay in coming back to us and that he’d been away. He would be interviewed by us in due course, but at the moment was busy with his cabinet appointments.