Warwickshire vote sees Reform become largest party

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Nigel Clarke, Reform UK chair for Warwick and Leamington, said his party was happy to work with the Conservatives at a local level



The Conservatives have lost control of Warwickshire County Council amid a Reform surge seen in several councils across England.

Tory council leader Izzi Seccombe, who had led the council for nearly 12 years, lost her seat to David Curtis, from the Liberal Democrats, and the final tally left the authority under no overall control.

Big gains were seen by both the Liberal Democrat and Green Party groups, while Reform became the largest party on the authority with 23 seats, but was unable to secure a majority.

Liberal Democrats now form the second largest block with 14 seats.

The Conservative group has nine, the Green Party has seven, Labour has three and Whitnash Residents Association has one.

The council previously had a strong Conservative majority, holding 41 of 57 seats.

One of the youngest councillors to be elected was George Finch, for Reform, who, at the age of 18, took the Bedworth Central seat, with 1,563 votes.

Judith Falps, from Whitnash Residents Association, who polled 939 votes to edge past Reform in her seat, described the outcome of the local elections as a "wake-up call" for major parties.

Liberal Democrat group deputy leader, Sarah Boad, re-elected for Leamington North, said most of Warwickshire's portfolio holders lost their seats and residents were going to get a "completely new broom" with a new set of people in charge.

With control of the council now up in the air, Nigel Clarke, chairman of the Warwick and Leamington branch of Reform, said his party was happy to work with the Conservatives at a local level and meetings were already planned.

"We're way past a protest vote," he said. "We're now at a stage where we understand that Britain is broken. We've had 100 years of Labour and Tories. Reform believe in starting again."

Reform's national leader Nigel Farage, speaking in Durham, said the results marked "the end of two-party politics".

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I don't think being seen to work with the Tories is a very good idea?

The reason people voted Reform was to get rid of the Tories.

The last thing we need is "Tories Mk2"

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Reform UK's 'turquoise tsunami' over Nuneaton and Bedworth at Warwickshire County Council election



A 'turquoise tsunami' has taken over Nuneaton and Bedworth as Reform took almost all of the borough's seats in Warwickshire County Council elections. In what has been described as an 'amazing' day by the party, Reform UK won 12 of the 13 Nuneaton and Bedworth division seats at Shire Hall.

It was only the Green Party's Keith Kondakor who stopped a complete landslide as he took the Nuneaton Weddington seat. But Reform has taken all but one of the seats locally.

Reform has also taken all of the neighbouring North Warwickshire seats at the county council. Newly elected Bedworth central councillor George Finch, who is the Reform chair of the Bedworth and North Warwickshire branch, dubbed it an 'amazing' day.

READ MORE: Reform UK winning seats live as counting continues in Nuneaton and Bedworth

Reform took all of the seats in Bedworth - they had all previously been held by the Conservatives. They also took the only Labour local seat on the county council - Nuneaton's Abbey ward.

Cllr Finch, who is believed to be the youngest ever Warwickshire County councillor, told CoventryLive that they were confident they would take Bedworth - but not as many seats as they did in Nuneaton.

"It is an amazing day," he said. "I knew that we would win Bedworth, I knew this weeks ago, but to have taken so many in Nuneaton, is amazing.

"We have worked hard, people wanted a change. The Conservatives broke the area and Labour haven't fixed it. We will fix it."

He attributed the huge win to 'listening' to residents on the doorsteps as the two main parties - Labour and the Conservatives - were complacent. Both the Bedworth and Nuneaton Conservative groups conceded the huge win. But now, councillor Kris Wilson, said that Reform need to deliver.

"Yes, there has been a turquoise tsunami, but tsunami's subside and now they (Reform) have to deliver," he said. "It will be interesting times and I will be watching to see that they do deliver and ensure that the investment we have had in Nuneaton and Bedworth, stays in Nuneaton and Bedworth."

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Reform UK group leader chosen to head up council



A new leader has been chosen for Warwickshire County Council following local elections earlier this month.

Councillor Rob Howard, head of the Reform UK group at the authority, was chosen as the council's leader at its annual general meeting on Friday.

He was not present at the meeting, having submitted apologies for his absence in advance.

Portfolio holders for the new cabinet will be announced in the coming weeks.

The council now comprises 23 Reform UK councillors, 14 Lib Dems, nine Tories, seven Greens, three Labour councillors and one representing Whitnash Residents Association.

There are 57 councillors in total, meaning a group needs 29 seats or more to have outright control.

As none of the parties crossed that threshold, it meant the council was left in no overall control.

As Reform UK was the largest party, it held greater sway when it came to choosing the leader than other parties represented on the authority.

Howard was nominated by deputy Reform UK group leader councillor George Finch and councillor Michael Bannister, also of Reform.

Alternative nominations were made for Liberal Democrat councillor Jerry Roodhouse and Green councillor Jonathan Chilvers to be leader, but both failed.

Howard won 28 votes from the councillors present at the meeting, while Roodhouse won 15 votes and Chilvers won 10 votes. There was one abstention.

The meeting also saw Reform's councillor Edward Harris chosen as the new chair of the authority and Conservative councillor Dale Keeling elected as vice-chair.

Harris' role includes chairing meetings of full council every six weeks along with civic duties representing the authority at public events.