Deborah Taylor: Reform UK’s shambolic rule in Leicestershire

Cllr Deborah Taylor is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Leicestershire County Council.

When I was asked to write a piece for Conservative Home about how councils run by Reform UK are getting on, my first thought was, where do I start?

After the Conservatives had run Leicestershire County Council for 24 years, it has understandably been an uncertain time for staff – and inexperienced leadership from Reform UK hasn’t helped with that at all. The mood when you enter County Hall is still subdued four months on from the elections.

Reform UK took control of Leicestershire County Council in May 2025, forming a minority administration with 25 out of 55 seats, three seats short of a majority.

The remaining seats on the council are: 15 Conservatives, 11 Liberal Democrats, 2 Labour, 1 Green, and 1 Independent. We ruled out a coalition with Reform UK from day one. If I wanted to join a circus, I would have done that instead of being a councillor.

So far, Reform UK’s tenure has been marked by a mix of bold pledges, internal challenges, and criticism from opposition parties.

Here is a small snapshot:

Reform UK slowly chose Dan Harrison as their Leader, a former Conservative councillor who defected to Reform UK in February 2025, and who is the father-in-law of the previous Conservative Leader. Under the Conservatives, Dan has never held a senior position. There is a reason for that, as many watchers of local government in Leicestershire are starting to see.

Joseph Boam, a 22-year-old councillor, became the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care. Joseph has a very interesting social media past, and from his posts we can learn that he shares a love for Andrew Tate and has stated that depression is not real.

Charles Pugsley, a 19-year-old full-time university student, was given the role of Cabinet Member for Children and Families. Both of these appointments were viewed with scepticism by councillors and professionals alike, due to the demands of the roles assigned to new, young councillors – with the lack of life experience needed for the roles.

The new administration, before the election, promised a deep dive into council finances, pledging an “American-style” DOGE audit to address perceived waste, such as £35 million on consultants and £1 million on translation services (both false claims). They claimed this audit, conducted by pro bono forensic auditors and data analysts, would cost taxpayers nothing. We are still awaiting their arrival.

Their first task was to convene an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss which flags to fly. They tried to avoid scrutiny, but their cabinet decision was called in by the opposition Leaders. We ended up with two additional Cabinet meetings and a Scrutiny Commission meeting to discuss what flag to fly where and when. How much did these extra meetings cost? (I am still waiting for a figure.) I thought they were all about cutting waste?

Other than transferring £2 million from the carbon reduction budget to the flooding budget, not much actual work has been done in the past four months since Reform UK has been in power.

By August 2025, Joseph Boam was sacked as Deputy Leader and his cabinet role after only three months, reportedly due to clashes with Harrison and concerns over his commitment. So, to the back benches for Joseph with a loss of over £25,000 in special responsibilities allowance.

So, we now have a new deputy and two additional cabinet members (more cost, circa £22,000). I thought they were all about cutting waste? As the Conservative Opposition Leader, I have run out of adjectives to describe Reform’s leadership.

When it comes to Local Government Reorganisation, Reform’s plan (such as they have any plan) is to surrender parts of the county to the Labour-run City, with all the talks happening behind closed doors with no communication with opposition leaders. Residents are rightly furious about this, and the Conservative Group spoke for residents in the summer when we tabled a motion, backed by other opposition parties, to formally oppose any Leicester city land grab.

So, four months in, there are splits in the Reform UK group, arguments, and sackings.

Did I mention the former Deputy Leader is under police investigation for electoral malpractice?

Did I mention the Council’s Vice Chair was sacked from Leicestershire Police for misconduct?

The Chief Executive, who has been head of our council for over 30 years and is the longest serving Chief Executive in the country, has announced his retirement in November. He was retiring in July, but the new Leader begged him to stay until November, even though he campaigned on the mantra:

“How Leicestershire council wastes YOUR money on paying the Chief Executive more than £220,000 a year.”

The leader has also promised tax cuts. What could possibly go wrong?

Is there anything good happening at all, you may ask?

Well, all the opposition parties are working well together to hold Reform UK to account. Our Conservative group is strong, and we are mentoring our new councillors, unlike Reform UK, who like to throw them under the bus.

I have a bit more time for my family, now that I am not juggling leading the Council and being the Cabinet Member for Children and Families.

Every cloud, as they say.