Derbyshire councillor claims Reform only wanted "electoral victory" but not "prize" of running council - after cancelling five meetings

Since Reform won control of Derbyshire County Council on May 2 (votes from May 1 were counted on the Friday) it has only held two public meetings, with five cancelled so far.

Reform UK hosted their first meeting at the helm of the county council on Wednesday, May 21, two weeks into their landslide election win, claiming 42 seats on the authority.

Since then, the authority has only hosted one further meeting, a D2 Strategic Leadership Board for which it is merely a host, with that committee led by Labour’s North East Derbyshire District Council leader Cllr Nigel Barker.

A planning committee meeting on June 16 was cancelled, followed by a trading committee meeting on June 19 and a people scrutiny committee meeting on June 25.

Next week, a health scrutiny meeting and a standing advisory committee on religious education on July 7 have both also been cancelled.

Tomorrow’s cabinet meeting on July 3 is due to go ahead, along with full council on July 9.

The authority’s leader, Reform’s Cllr Alan Graves, said: “We have had to cancel a few meetings, for a variety of different reasons.

“There was no business to be discussed at the planning meeting on June 16, or the trading committee on June 19. Others have been cancelled due to diary clashes.

“We remain committed to the job to which we were elected, which is running the council.”

Conservative Cllr Nigel Gourlay, who represents the Chapel and Hope Valley division, said: “It’s quite dispiriting. You look at the few councillors who are left from the mainstream parties, and you know that each of them had a plan for how to improve the council for their neighbours.

“And then you look at Reform, and it’s like looking into the abyss. I’ve asked Reform councillors about their plans, and all I get is vague anti-woke sentiment, but nothing that might improve a library or a care home.

“It feels as if they wanted the electoral victory but not the prize. It’s utter nihilism.”