Reform’s first 100 days in Durham

“The colour of County Durham politics is going to look very different,” Nigel Farage ambitiously predicted on the first of several visits earlier this year, as Reform UK set its sights on shaking up the political landscape.

The party’s growing popularity in the region was proof that Reform was parking its tanks on Labour’s lawn and was ready to take control of Durham County Council, the national leader said.

Politically, County Durham has changed dramatically over the past six years. The collapse of the ‘red wall’ in 2019 contributed to Labour’s losses in the 2021 local elections – meaning the party lost overall control of the authority for the first time in 100 years – and led to a new coalition of political parties in power.

Although Reform had set its sights on a political upset earlier this year, even national leader Nigel Farage admitted winning 65 seats out of 98 was a surprise – a symbolic victory later dubbed a “turquoise wave”.

With last Saturday (August 9) marking the party’s first 100 days in power, what have we learned about how they want to run the authority?

Alongside some significant major changes, the words and actions of senior members have set the tone for Reform’s time at the helm.

The party’s strength in numbers was clear to see as its councillors lined up outside Durham County Hall before the first council meeting in May, with members promptly using the election success to their advantage by aligning the future direction of the council with the party’s priorities.

On his first day, Cllr Husband vowed to prioritise “common sense policies”. He spoke of the need to be transparent with the public and a plan to “do things differently”. Cabinet roles were renamed to remove references to ‘climate change’ and ‘equality and inclusion’.

Since then, the party’s first moves in power have included the controversial decision to scrap the council’s climate emergency pledge – believed to be the first of its kind in the UK – and waging a war on diversity training and programmes.

A “County Durham Care Emergency was instead launched, which Reform said will help recognise the “critical and escalating crisis” in children’s social care, including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision.

Darren Grimes, deputy council leader and party spokesman, told councillors: “We are done with expensive virtue signalling tripe and care about our residents.”

Elsewhere, new rules have been introduced to make it more difficult for landlords to convert housing into shared accommodation following concerns from residents on the campaign trail.

In another sign that the council’s net zero ambitions have been sidelined, decisions to refuse planning permission for solar farms and choosing not to upgrade the electric vehicle fleet have been praised by members.

Andrew Husband, council leader, said: “Some councils might spend their first 100 days commissioning diversity audits and renaming streets. Here in Durham, we’ve been busy doing something truly radical: listening to the people who actually pay the bills.”

However, opposition councillors, including Liberal Democrats, Labour and Independents, have been steadfast in their scrutiny and criticism of the administration, with members repeatedly clashing in the council chamber during fractious debates and votes.

A proposal to change the Council Tax Reduction Scheme programme – requiring people on low incomes to fund council services – has been tabled to raise much-needed funding for cash-strapped services, but political rivals have warned thousands of vulnerable residents could be impacted.

Decisions such as cutting the climate pledge – which saw hundreds of protesters gather outside County Hall with placards and banners – and removing Pride and Ukrainian flags have caused consternation among political rivals.

At July’s full council meeting, Reform’s Kenny Hope accused the Liberal Democrats of being in favour of adult and child slave labour.

The party also recently claimed that council staff have considered leaving their roles or retiring early after comments from Nigel Farage that anyone working on climate change or diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives should be “seeking alternative careers”.

Reform was told its rhetoric was “very overblown” and alienated hundreds of workers performing key day-to-day services.

Independent councillor John Shuttleworth said: “Our workers do a good job to the best of their ability and always have done. I work well with these people, and I’m not prepared for them to be s*** on like that.”

Keen on keeping a close eye on operations, a national ‘Reform Watch’ scrutiny board is being chaired by former council leader Amanda Hopgood.

A by-election defeat in the Benfieldside ward following the prompt resignation of a councillor (just days after being elected) increased the number of Liberal Democrat representatives to 15. But Reform’s large majority means every council scrutiny and committee board is now chaired by a Reform councillor, causing opposition members to claim the new administration will “effectively be marking its own homework”.

Yet, Reform has also pledged to scrutinise the local authority’s spending and performance through its own efficiency team. Taking inspiration from President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the body will be tasked with reviewing council spending and service delivery. Council staff remain in the dark as to when they will arrive at County Hall.

Cllr Husband added: “We’ve put a stop to pointless vanity projects and are redirecting every penny to the front-line services our communities depend on. It’s called respecting the taxpayer – a concept we’re bringing back with a vengeance”.

Council meetings and committees will spark back into life in September, ahead of a key autumn and winter period where Reform is expected to continue introducing and cutting council programmes in line with its priorities. Amid reports that an initial £31 million worth of savings will need to be made next year, all eyes will be on the administration’s first budget.