The Reform councillors’ first meeting now they’re in charge of Nottinghamshire County Council has not proceeded smoothly.
First we saw accusations of electoral malfeasance:
Former deputy leader Bruce Laughton went through the seven Nolan principles of public life and accused Reform of breaking them all in the election campaign. He said Reform made false promises on election leaflets and tried and failed to get former Conservative councillors to join Reform.
Then Councillor Lee, former Conservative vice-chair, went after Reform Councillor John Doddy:
I don’t think you have a clue to be honest of what this job entails. For my residents, I hope I am wrong, but I’m rarely wrong when it comes to politics. When I first met John Doddy, I thought he was a joke and a clown and I’ve been proven right.
To be honest, it sounds like it was actually the Conservatives that started the squabble this time, not Reform, so can’t really blame Reform for that. More damning to the latter perhaps is the reporter’s conclusion at the end of the article that reported this.
Perhaps the reason much of the atmosphere on Thursday was so bland was because in terms of policy, much remains unclear in terms of Reform’s positions in Nottinghamshire. Councillor Barton repeatedly said it was “too early to say” when questioned on issues ranging from home working to immigration.
I’m sure Reform did not campaign on it being “too early to say” anything about immigration.