A Reform UK spending controversy has erupted after councillors approved £150,000 for political advisers—despite campaigning on austerity. The decision, pushed through by Warwickshire council leader George Finch, sparked accusations of hypocrisy. It also drew protests over his earlier bid to remove a Pride flag.
Reform, now the largest party on Warwickshire council, narrowly passed plans to fund advisers for itself, the Conservatives, and Liberal Democrats. Opposition councillors slammed the move as a betrayal of election promises. The promises were to slash waste.
- Liberal Democrat George Cowcher called it “spending money so they can have a chum in their group,” noting Reform had yet to propose budget savings.
- Green Party’s Sam Jones accused Reform of abandoning supporters: “No to bureaucrats before the election, yes to £150k unfunded spending now.”
Finch, 19, defended the plan as “value for money,” citing other councils’ practices. His colleague Michael Bannister claimed funds would be reallocated, not added.
Therefore, the Reform UK spending controversy followed Finch’s failed attempt to remove the council’s Pride flag in June. Chief executive Monica Fogarty overruled him, stating such decisions were her remit. Protesters outside the meeting branded Finch’s actions “petty,” with one placard reading: “DEI: Division, Exclusion, Inequality.”
Reform also lost a vote on acknowledging the climate crisis. Labour’s Sarah Feeney warned of flooding impacts and Greens stressed the poor would suffer most. However, Reform councillor Luke Cooper dismissed the motion as “ridiculous,” insisting local issues took priority.
Critics highlighted the contrast between Reform’s anti waste rhetoric and its sudden embrace of taxpayer-funded aides. As Warwickshire faces budget pressures, the Reform UK spending controversyrisks undermining trust in the party’s fiscal pledges. Meanwhile, Finch’s social policies have further alienated opponents, with one protester accusing him of using marginalised groups as “propaganda tools.”
The disputes signal turbulent times ahead as Reform balances its insurgent image with the realities of local governance.
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