Unanswered questions over electoral law related to Reform UK cabinet member

PLUS: Parents wrongly accused of harming their babies into the thousands

Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.

Those who followed our election coverage closely will remember that questions were asked over exactly who was funding the admittedly small amount of cash required to print leaflets for Wyre Rural Central candidate Matthew Salter.

He is now Cllr Salter and a member of Reform UK’s cabinet and has declared in his register of interests that leaflets were paid for by the Preesall and Knott End Against the Quarry Group.

Despite that, the group chair says that no public donations have been spent on the leaflets, raising the question of how valid that register of interests is. Unfortunately, everyone has clammed up on the subject.

We also welcome Simon Drury to our reporting roster, who today reports on how thousands of parents could’ve been unreasonably accused of harming their children, which can have consequences.

Questions over donation to the election campaign of new Reform cabinet member

By Jamie Lopez

Salter (right) with his Reform-branded campaign leaflets

Further questions have been raised over the donation to the election campaign of a new Reform county council cabinet member.

Cllr Matthew Salter, who defected from the Conservatives earlier this year, was elected in Wyre Rural Central division in May and now sits as the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills.

In the run up to the election, leaflets distributed supporting his campaign expressed that he was supported by the Preesall and Knott End Against the Quarry Group

A row broke out over the funding of these and whether it breached electoral laws which state that such material must include the name and address of the organisation which published it.

Those distributed on behalf of Salter stated they were promoted by Leanne Murray, who is both chair of the campaign group and his election agent, and referenced Reform UK in the imprint but not the quarry group.

At the time, one of Slater’s election rivals told The Lancashire Lead that it’s ‘certainly not true’ that the whole campaign backs him and the saga has led other members to distance themselves from a group which was perceived to have shifted focus from solely protesting the quarry to supporting Reform more generally.

Since the election, Cllr Salter’s register of interests has attributed £165 of spending on leaflets to Preesall and Knott End Against the Quarry Group but there is still no clarity on who provided that funding.

When challenged about the spending on Facebook, Ms Murray said they no “public donations” had been spent on leaflets. When approached by The Lancashire Lead, she responded to an initial query but declined to answer specific questions on how the leaflets were funded; how many group members made the decision to back Cllr Salter; and whether it accepted there may be a breach of electoral law.

Cllr Salter, Reform UK and Lancashire County Council were all approached for clarity on the situation by The Lancashire Lead but did not respond.

Recommended reads this week

🔴 Blog Preston has spoken to Ribble Valley’s first Labour MP Maya Ellis on her biggest challenges, including the rise of Reform UK. She is approaching one year in office and also covers the backlash from farmers and the quite frankly bizarre (our words, not hers) make-up of her Ribble Valley constituency. Big read here.

🚃 Councillors in the Lancaster and Morecambe have highlighted the need for transport investment following the chancellor’s announcements about government cash for tram, railway and bus projects in other parts of England. With the expected opening of the Eden Project in Morecambe in the coming years, greater investment in green public transport in the district would be welcome and needed. The Lancaster Guardian has that.

✏️ A planning application has officially been submitted for a multi-million-pound special educational needs centre in Blackburn town centre. Blackburn with Darwen Council has secured £1.7m of new government funding that could be used to help transform the vacant Bridge House building, close to Blackburn railway station. The Lancashire Telegraph reports.

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Thousands of parents wrongly accused of harming their children

By Simon Drury

An expert on child protection says thousands of parents are wrongly accused of harming their babies due to a misinterpretation of bruising in newborns.