‘Threatening letters’ and cancelled committees: inside Reform UK’s Kent takeover
The takeover of Kent County Council by Reform UK in the spring local elections has proved to be fractious, fraught and sometimes farcical, but no one’s laughing
by Bill Doult, Kent and Surrey Bylines
Roller coasters can be exciting, thrilling, and lots of fun, but when they stop, you usually get off exactly where you started. Reform UK’s three months in charge of Kent County Council have for many, been a white knuckle ride as the ‘turquoise tornado’ turns the Garden of England into a carnival field. But how far has the council moved?
Well, so far, not far. That’s mainly because so many of the new Reform councillors have little or no idea what they’re doing. But on the other hand, it ain’t been dull.
The scale of Reform’s victory last May was astonishing. Farage’s crack regiment captured 57 of the council’s 81 seats, completely usurping the Conservatives, who had held power in Kent since the dawn of time or at least for nearly 30 years.
So large was the Tory wipeout that they failed to even become the main opposition, ending up with five seats, the same as the Greens. The Liberal Democrats d…
