Reform In Charge

Reform UK councillors have rejected criticism of their first month running Kent County Council.

The opposition Liberal Democrats had expressed frustration that 11 council committee meetings had been cancelled.

But Reform UK says having those meetings before their newly elected councillors had had time to be properly briefed and trained would have been absurd.

In a statement on social media this week, David Wimble (pictured below) who's the Reform UK councillor for Romney Marsh said he'd already been involved in several key decisions.

But David Wimble argued in relation to the cancelled committee meetings: "These meetings were scheduled by the previous administration. They were part of a legacy calendar that didn’t take into account the very real need for newly elected councillors – particularly those in cabinet positions – to be properly briefed and trained.

David Wimble continued: "So let’s ask the question that matters to taxpayers: Would you rather your elected representatives take the time to understand their portfolios, get fully up to speed on complex contracts and legal frameworks, and meet the key officers responsible for delivering services? Or would you prefer, as Labour and the Lib Dems apparently do, that we dive headfirst into multimillion-pound decisions completely blind – making policy choices without context, background, or due diligence? It’s an absurd position."

David Wimble concluded: "Unlike our political opponents, we believe in doing the job properly. That means asking questions, reviewing the evidence, and meeting the people actually delivering the services. It’s called leadership".

In a statement on Thursday, the Reform leader of Kent County Council, Linden Kemkaren (pictured below) said: "I'm pleased to say my Cabinet colleagues have been appointed and we are just finalising their areas of responsibility and focus. Everyone is excited to learn more about their portfolios and to start making a real difference to the people we serve".

She continued: "As promised, my team members with special responsibility for Local Government Efficiency are already looking at areas where money might be saved by doing things differently."

Tunbridge Wells County Councillor, Mark Ellis (pictured below), of the Liberal Democrats by contrast has been highly critical of Reform UK's plan to investigate council contracts.

He told West Kent Radio that he was troubled by the "Musk-style DOGE review of Kent County Council". 

Mark Ellis said: "I was highly concerned that - in such a high-handed way- they were proposing putting residents' personal data at risk by using AI to scan through residents' personal data with a lack of scrutiny, as they have also cancelled elected member scrutiny meetings in June". 

After the appearance, disappearance and then reappearance of members of the DOGE team from outside Kent, Mark Ellis stated: "I am furious with the wider lack of care they are treating the council and its employees. KCC looks after vital services with thousands of vulnerable residents - they should respect this fact, not treat it like a political toy from their head office".