The Reform-run council in Kent is likely the most famously incompetent laughing stock of the councils they (try to) dominate – but Reform’s formerly dominant position in Cornwall Council has also descended into farce
Cornwall’s Council, in which Reform UK holds the most seats of all the parties, has fast entered into a spiral of incompetence it’s hard to believe can be true.
Both their leader and deputy leader quit, within a couple of days of each other.
First, deputy leader Cllr Rowland O’Connor, one of their most impressive players, not only stepped down from his role but also from Reform itself, becoming a Standalone Independent. He said: “Remaining within the party was limiting my ability to speak and act freely for our community.”
He told his ward members in St Columb Major, St Mawgan and St Wenn he could now serve them “without party influence”…
Apparently this party that pretends to value “freedom” wouldn’t even let its councillors speak openly.
Perhaps O’Connor’s major flaw was that he actually claims to have wanted to work on behalf of his constituents to improve the council services he would have had some control over. It turns out he picked the wrong party to do that. Farage et al apparently told him to forget all that and bang on about things he had effectively no control over – the usual bogeymen that scare all the little babies in Reform HQ: “net zero” and “migration.”
“I made a commitment to serve the people of my division as a local councillor and to represent their best interests on anything to do with council services: buses, transport, roads, hedges, potholes, bins, all the things that one would expect a council to be involved in,” said O’Connor, who represents St Columb Major, St Mawgan and St Wenn division.
“But the position I found myself in as deputy leader and also as a Reform UK councillor, was that the national agenda right was being emphasised.”
O’Connor said the two key propositions from Reform UK on a national level were challenging immigration and net zero. “The direct impact of immigration in Cornwall is negligible,” he said.
On net zero, Reform councillors sitting on planning committees – like all councillors – are required to be apolitical in their decision-making, he added.
“There was an ongoing divergence between what time I was able to dedicate to serving the residents in my division versus trying to unravel the push-pull between national and local.”
Then the local Reform leader, Councillor Rob Parsonage, also quit his role, for reasons fairly unknown as far as I can tell. Although later he did tell the Guardian that he too felt the frustration of Reform HQ bullying him into focusing on things that weren’t even necessarily legal to do. Nothing that helps their constituents – just stuff that does nothing except help Farage’s inane soundbites:
Parsonage, who represents Torpoint, said as leader he would receive “instructions” over WhatsApp from “head office” ordering them to “put motions in to scrap all net zero target-related matters”.
“The trouble with that is you have to go in there with an open mind and with a view to assessing a planning application based on its merits, the regulations and the law,” Parsonage added. “So, effectively, you’re being asked to do something that you’re not allowed to do.”
Then there’s the case of Curt Mellows, former chairman of the South East Cornwall branch of Reform. He had a lot to say about Mr Parsonage. None of it complimentary.
Curt Mellows – former chairman of the South East Cornwall branch of Reform UK – said he had thought long and hard about speaking out about the leadership, but felt he now had to as his accusations of bullying and harassment within the party have been ignored both regionally and nationally.
Pulling no punches, Mr Mellows said: “So the management team of Reform Cornwall, appointed by the self-appointed, so-called leader, has fallen apart. The odious little man who grabbed the leader’s position is failing on a massive scale.”
Referring to Cllr O’Connor’s resignation, he added: “He [Cllr Parsonage] can spin this however he wishes but this is one of the consequences of his complete unsuitability for the role. He possesses neither the intellect nor leadership qualities, or indeed any charisma at all, required for this important role. I hope he is replaced soon due to the damage his poor judgement is causing Reform in Cornwall.”
Mr Parsonage’s wife is also a Reform Councillor – but Christine Parsonage has come under fire for basically not bothering to turn up to any meetings. Probably because she never had any intention of doing so, seeing herself as a paper candidate. She never imagined she might have to represent the interests of the voters who inadvertently trusted her with their vote. But stood anyway, because, you know, it’s a laugh, or something.
One of those is Cllr Christine Parsonage, wife of the erstwhile leader. Living 45 miles away from her St Columb Minor and Colan seat, she was roundly criticised by members of Newquay Town Council for not attending meetings. Since the hoo-ha she has gone on a period of special leave for three months.
Her colleague Susanne Desmonde, another Reform councillor, had to seek special leave for medical reasons as well, although no-one can be held responsible for bad luck with health of course.
The afore-mentioned former Reform leader Rob Parsonage then went on to set up a new rival political group which seem to have encouraged the defection of a few more of previously-Reform councillors:
The former leader of Reform UK at Cornwall Council has resigned from the party over the weekend to set up a new independent political group. Cllr Rob Parsonage has left Reform along with his wife Cllr Christine Parsonage and Cllr Anna Thomason-Kenyon.
They have joined forces with the Reform group’s former deputy leader, Cllr Rowland O’Connor, and Cllr Karen Knight – who left the party last week – to form the breakaway Cornish Independent Nonaligned Group at the council.
Enough Cornwall councillors have now quit the party such that Reform has managed to defeat itself, no longer holding the most seats there. A win for the Lib Dems it seems.
The changes now mean that the political make-up of Cornwall Council is:
Liberal Democrats – 26 seats
Reform UK – 23 seats
Independents – 16 seats
Conservatives – 7 seats
Cornish Independent Nonaligned Group – 5 seats
Labour – 4 seats
Mebyon Kernow – 3 seats
Green Party – 3 seats