Nigel Farage visit to Lancashire slammed as 'wasted time, effort and money'
PLUS: Joel Tetlow back in the firing line over latest social media posts
Hello and welcome to The Lancashire Lead.
The spotlight was on County Hall on Thursday as Nigel Farage’s visit saw him claim that if Reform UK delivers in Lancashire it will play a big part on deciding the outcome of the next general election.
But opposition group leaders, unsurprisingly, did not welcome his visit during normal County Hall working hours at a time when Reform UK were themselves scrutinising wasted time, effort and money.
So far, so normal and rows like this are likely to continue at County Hall as Reform UK identifies those savings.
Perhaps equally unsurprising is that Cllr Joel Tetlow, representing Accrington North, has come under fire for his use of social media. His behaviour has been described as ‘falling short of standards expected from elected representatives’ - not that Reform UK or County Hall have anything to say on the matter.
“Reform have stated they need to make savings and efficiencies. But they have wasted time, effort and money entertaining their London boss”
By Paul Faulkner and Luke Beardsworth
Nigel Farage has told the new Reform UK administration at Lancashire County Council that how they perform will play a part in how well the party does at the next general election in 2029.
He was speaking during a visit to the authority’s headquarters where he congratulated members of the now ruling group on their success in last month’s local elections.
The Reform leader said he was aware that “something was happening in Lancashire” ahead of that poll, which saw the party sweep to victory, ousting the Conservatives after eight years in charge.
Leaders at opposition group Progressive Lancashire slammed his visit as ‘wasted time, effort and money’ from a party that claims to need to find savings and efficiencies in Lancashire.
Cllr Azhar Ali, opposition group leader said: “Nigel Farage is an MP for Clacton - he has no connection with Lancashire. But he has found time in his schedule to travel up to Preston and tell us how we should do things in Lancashire.
“How the county is run, what we decide are our priorities - these are things that Lancashire‘s elected representatives should determine … they are not something that the multi- millionaire Farage should have any influence over.”
Cllr Gina Dowding, deputy leader for the opposition, added: “Reform have stated they need to make savings and efficiencies in Lancashire. But today they have wasted time, effort and money entertaining their London boss”
Farage said that never in his “wildest dreams” did he think it was likely that they would secure 53 seats and a comfortable majority.
Having done so, he explained to the cabinet, the local party now bore a “very heavy weight of responsibility” in the work that lies ahead for it.
It also emerged during the visit that the controversial Reform ‘DOGE’ unit – modelled on the spend-slashing Department of Government Efficiency previously run by Elon Musk in the United States – would be arriving at County Hall next week.
Opposition politicians have questioned the desirability and practicality of having a politically-appointed team scouring the local authority for savings.
During his 90-minute trip to the county – which began with him being presented with a Lancashire rose lapel pin by new county council leader Stephen Atkinson – Nigel Farage addressed both the new Reform cabinet and the wider group of Reform members, who greeted him with enthusiastic applause.
He told them: “We will be judged [and] – without wishing to put too much of a burden on your shoulders – [when it comes to] how we do at the next general election, you will be a very important component part.
“You’ve been put here by the voters in Lancashire, you’ve been asked to make savings where they’re appropriate, you’ve been asked to uphold high standards of behaviour in public life and you’ve been asked to do the best for the county – and I know that in your hearts, all of you absolutely want to do that
“Get this right – improve the county, improve people’s lives – and you will all feel an immense sense of pride.”
Turning to the new cabinet member for highways, Warren Goldsworthy, he joked: “Potholes – you’d better get it right,” adding:
“[But] this is the stuff that affects people’s lives. Young kids, people without much money, get a puncture [from a pothole] – it’s a real issue.”
He also highlighted challenges in adult social care, services for children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) and the county council’s £1.2bn of debt which attracts interest payments of £100,000 per day.
He claimed that while all incoming administrations “blame” their predecessors, “genuinely in Lancashire what we have inherited is a mess”.
Farage said there was “nothing this Labour government would like more” than to be able to say “Reform has failed in Lancashire”.
“But we are not going to let them do that, because we’re going to do the job [and] we’re going to do it well,” he added.
New Lancashire County Council leader Stephen Atkinson also revealed during the visit that he had already written to the government to make a good on an election pledge to request “legally binding” referenda on two thorny political issues – the prospect of Lancashire getting an elected mayor and a ministerial demand for the county to scrap its 15 councils, including the county council, and replace them with just a handful of new ones.
Nigel Farage ended his cabinet roundtable discussion by telling the portfolio holders that he was confident they would be “absolutely trying your hardest and delivering the results”, before adding with a jocular bang of his fist on the table: “Or else.”
That sentiment – and the visit itself – perhaps a reflection of the degree to which he can sense that after so long on the national and European stage, his future success is inextricably bound up with the fortunes of local authorities like Lancashire County Council, where voters will get to judge Reform UK on how they use power once it is theirs.
Controversial Reform UK councillor under fire for latest social media contributions
By Jamie Lopez
A Reform county councillor who compared asylum seekers to a Nazi invasion is facing more criticism over online posts.
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