The far-right party Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party), took control of ten local councils in last year’s local elections. In the upcoming elections this May, they could take the reins of even more.
In less than a year, Reform-led councils have already ditched their promises to working people. In Derbyshire, Reform are hiking council tax by 5% and in Kent, it’s going up by 4%. In Nottinghamshire, Reform UK has already splashed £75,000 of taxpayer money on putting up 164 Union Jack flags.
If you’re worried about Reform taking over your local council, UNISON has produced a guide for activists looking to fight back.
In response to last year’s local election results, UNISON has seen a surge in new union joiners who are worried about the impact that a Reform-run council might have on their community. In the areas where Reform performed strongly in local elections, the number of new union joiners has shot up by 272%.
In response to UNISON members’ concerns, the union has produced a guide on how to counter Reform in May’s elections. These include England’s local elections, Scottish Parliament elections, and Senedd elections in Cymru/Wales. The UNISON Cymru guide will be published next week.
‘Political chancers’
Chris Birks, who works on UNISON’s Responding to Reform elections campaign says: “Reform UK’s agenda is a direct threat to our family and friends. Working-class communities are being sold a con by political chancers with no real plan to run vital services, who fall back on stunts, culture-war distractions and taxpayer-funded union flags when they’ve got nothing to deliver.”
Recognising the sense of exhaustion and defeat that many people are feeling right now, Chris added: “If good people do nothing, our neighbourhoods will become poorer and weaker. UNISON activists must stand up and be counted – especially in local government, where these cuts will hit hardest.”
In Derbyshire, Reform UK have declared they plan to cut 2,000 local council jobs and will give a private company £5 million to ‘investigate’ where they can cut more.
Chris continued, “This guide is an important first step in taking on Reform UK, giving activists the tools to cut through the slogans and tell the truth. But a guide alone won’t win this fight. Trade union power lives in our branches and workplaces – where trusted colleagues inform, educate and organise. ”
Beyond their broken promises to local communities, Reform UK has been in the headlines for its members using racist slurs and inciting violence against migrants. One Putin-supporting candidate called Hitler ‘brilliant’.
The far-right party have also repeatedly voted against the Employment Rights Bill and have declared a plan to replace the NHS with an American-style private health system run on insurance. The party have not clarified what would happen to health workers’ jobs, and workers’ rights.
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