Inside the first Reform UK-led full council meeting at County Hall

PLUS: The Lancashire Lead's take from the viewing gallery at County Hall

Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.

If we take it that the first full council meeting at Lancashire County Council following Reform UK’s historic election win was a formality (wherein confirmation of cabinet roles came), this was the public’s first chance to see what the new administration was about.

If you wanted to play Reform bingo, which sounds thoroughly morbid, then you’d have been out of there quickly thanks to debate around flags, organisation issues and even a reluctance to say climate change is real.

Common sense politics has arrived in Lancashire and we were in attendance to see how it all unfolded.

‘Woke nonsense’, science-doubting and flag rows: Reform UK arrives on Lancashire’s public stage

Full council at County Hall on Thursday. Credit: The Lancashire Lead

By Jamie Lopez

Lancashire County Council will appoint a dedicated champion to support victims of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

The appointment will come in response to Labour’s Cllr Samara Barnes which raised the significance of the issue at a full council meeting on Thursday and received unanimous support from councillors.

The role is likely to be taken on by Reform councillor Maria Jones who spoke movingly about her experience of being emotionally, physically and psychologically abused by her ex-husband.

She said: “Ten years on, I now consider myself fortunate to have come through what I did. I survived but I am aware that many don’t.

“I was blessed to receive the help and support I needed at the time I needed it and this has made me determined to do everything I can both personally and in my capacity as a Reform county councillor to help women who are experiencing the horror that I did.”

‘No briefing note’ means no answer for Jewish communities

Among two questions from the public at the meeting was a query from Savannah Roberts about what LCC is doing to ensure Jewish communities feel safe and included in society amid a rise in hostility since October 7.

Despite having had well over a week to prepare, the cabinet members instead looked blankly at one another before blaming a lack of a briefing note for not being able to give an answer. A written response will follow instead.

Flag rows

The most heated row broke out over Reform’s efforts to ban certain flags from being flown outside County Hall. Dishearteningly in the context of those promises to support VAWG victims, the white ribbon flag which shows support to domestic abuse victims is among those which will be banned under the proposed new rules.

Likewise, the Pride flag and those honouring NHS and emergency workers are to be blacklisted.

Woke, socialist nonsense

A question about fairer pay was dismissed by Cllr Ged Mirfin, one of the cabinet’s various recent Tories, as “woke, socialist nonsense”. The question also led to no hope being given of collaboration with trade unions and an indication that LCC workers should be expecting pay rises under the new administration.

Cllr Mirfin opened that incredibly condescending response by criticising the length of Cllr Matthew Brown’s question before speaking for five-and-half minutes. That ensured there was no time for the remaining questions which will instead only receive a written response.

Science seems to be the hardest word

As will be discussed more further down this newsletter, Cllr Joshua Roberts is now in charge of the Rural Affairs, Environment and Communities portfolio which previously included Climate Change in the title.

After criticising net zero policies, he was asked three times whether he would agree with his council leader’s previous comments and say that he believed in climate change science. On each occasion, he failed to answer the question.

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Honest, direct politics found lacking in first public test for Reform UK in Lancashire

Analysis by Jamie Lopez

After all the promises of straight-talking and honesty with the public, it’d be reasonable to expect the Reform administration to answer simple questions. Wouldn’t it?