By Christina McAnea
The success of Reform at the local and mayoral elections last week made a lot of headlines. It’s also rung alarm bells for many. Not least for anyone working in the ten councils now controlled by the party.
Many commentators have heralded Reform’s strong showing as the end of two-party politics. But we’ve been here before.
The SDP/Lib Dem alliance were going to break the mould of British politics in 1981. They didn’t.
And then there was Ukip. The party was the clear winner of the European elections in 2014 and looked set to change the political landscape. But a year later, Ukip could only manage a single parliamentary seat in the general election.
That said, it does all feel a little different this time. Back then Nigel Farage was making mischief in Brussels. Now he and his latest political incarnation have followed up their general election success in five constituencies last July by gaining control of 10 councils in England (although it should be noted one councillor has already resigned after being suspended from the party).
Council staff are understandably feeling anxious. Suggestions that anyone working in equalities or on environmental issues, or who might work from home some of the time, should be contemplating new careers, won’t have gone down well.
But whatever Mr Farage thinks, no employer is above the law. His comments may well help boost union recruitment efforts across Kent, Durham, Derbyshire, Lancashire and the other Reform authorities. The best protection council staff can always have is to be in a union. So, I’d encourage any staff who aren’t yet members to join us so they can enjoy the support of UNISON.
In a similar vein, the new mayor of Lincolnshire has talked of a leaner workforce at the county council. But Andrea Jenkyns might want to check her mayoral job description. It doesn’t extend to HR matters at the local authority. Staffing matters aren’t her remit.
More importantly, with election success comes responsibility. And with responsibility comes accountability. It’s one thing to carp and criticise from the sidelines and make un-costed claims about what can be done to fix this problem or solve that issue.
Now they will have to deliver and it’s already clear Reform has no idea how local government works now or indeed what it’s actually for.
It’s one thing to claim in a campaign you’ll restore weekly bin collections for example. Or slash waste. But it’s another to find the money to do so when local government funding has been cut to the bone already following 14 years of Conservative mis-management.
Announcements so far on what flags can be flown from town halls, threats to diversity, equality and inclusion staff and promised legal challenges against asylum hotels suggest Reform wants to use power to fight some culture wars.
Farage is the ultimate snake-oil salesman – “take this pill and all your ailments will be cured” – but life isn’t like that. Populists telling the public what they want to hear, without coming up with an actual workable plan to make things better, can only go so far.
They also have no idea how hard local government has been hit by years of central government funding cuts – never mind how to fix things in the future. As Reform councillors settle into their new roles, they’ll be on a steep learning curve. And they could do no better than to start by reading about our local service champions.
This year’s winners will be announced at the annual local government conference in Liverpool next month. But the extraordinary thing about these council award-winners is not about being exceptional, more just how ‘ordinary’ they are.
They are the norm – public service workers doing their best every day for their communities in the face of financial cuts, staff shortages and increasing demand. The triple whammy of life as a local government worker and a reality Reform councillors are going to have to get to grips with pretty quickly.
It’s not the story the media likes to tell – they prefer a Farage soundbite or some Reform anti-migrant rhetoric. But the residents of those 10 Reform councils will soon be finding out that a clever slogan or a smart headline won’t keep the streets clean or their libraries open.
Our hard-working local government staff are essential for the running of all local communities. They give their all and deserve councillors who are doing their best to serve them too.
The article Opinion: Reform could learn a lot from our local service champions first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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