University of Lincoln politics professor outlines what Reform UK can and can’t achieve at Lincolnshire County Council

Reform UK has won a sweeping mandate for change in Lincolnshire, winning the mayor and county council in a landslide.

The party has found success railing against immigration, wasteful spending and Net Zero projects.

However, a Lincolnshire politics expert says many of its goals might prove difficult to implement on a local level.

Professor Andrew Defty, a professor of politics at the University of Lincoln, spoke about what the party can and can’t achieve now it’s in power.

“Reform have talked a lot about national issues like immigration or energy, which neither the mayor or the county council have control of,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“Now they have power, they will need to recalibrate and focus on delivering local services which people expect.”

Rejecting asylum seekers

The housing of asylum seekers has proved a flashpoint in Lincolnshire – first in hotels in towns such as Skegness, and then in abandoned plans for the former RAF Scampton.

Reform’s leaders have spoken about councils stopping asylum seekers from being housed in the county, which is handled by the Home Office.

“Councils can be helpful or resistant – they might not have the power to say they don’t want them in their areas, but if they push back I suspect they can make it more difficult,” Professor Defty.

“It would be interesting to see the figures. Compared to other parts of the UK, I don’t think Lincolnshire is shouldering a huge portion of the burden.”

He said Dame Andrea Jenkyns’ suggestion that asylum seekers be housed in tents was “not serious, it’s rhetoric designed to appeal to some Reform voters”.

Cutting spending and lowering taxes

A big Reform initiative has been attempting to cut waste in the same way that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (or DOGE) has.

Party leader Nigel Farage has promised “a Doge in every county”, while the party’s 2024 manifesto mentions lower taxes dozens of times.

“Since 2015, local government has taken the brunt of government cuts, and spending is already down to the bone,” Professor Defty said.

“It’s tempting for a party to say they will cut council tax, but residents will notice if services are being cut as well. This isn’t like central government money which can disappear without an impact.

“If people lose swimming pools and libraries or see more potholes on the roads, that is going to be obvious to them.

“I’m sceptical that Reform will be able to make cuts in the way they’ve promised.”

Outgoing leader Martin Hill (Con) believes the new administration will have difficulty finding any fat left to trim.

“We have already saved £400m over the last few years – they may find it more tricky than they thought,” he predicted at the election count.

Reform have threatened to cut ‘DEI’ (diversity, equality and inclusiveness) roles in a bid to save money, describing them as ‘woke’.

However the county council already confirmed it doesn’t have any of these.

Stopping solar farms

Net zero initiatives like solar farms and battery farms have been a regular target of Reform.

Deputy leader Richard Tice promised “Reform’s new councils like Lincolnshire will wage war against Net Stupid Zero things. Developers and investors take note – it will cost you money.”

However, the previous Conservative-led county council found it had limited influence on this, despite strongly opposing them.

Professor Defty said: “Larger solar farms are decided by the Secretary of State for Energy, and there is nothing the mayor or the county council can do about it.

“The government is committed to moving towards renewable energy, and anything against that will be pushing against their policy.”

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS’s) are decided by district council planning committees (unless attached to a big solar farm).

Some have been rejected by the last year, but councillors need to base this on legitimate planning reasons, not ideological beliefs, otherwise the developer could appeal and land the council with a hefty bill.

Mr Tice has suggested that the council could use judicial reviews, lawsuits and health and safety notices to stop any solar developments.

Professor Defty said it was unclear how effective judicial reviews would be, as the previous Conservative government had “rolled back” their powers.