Reform UK names group leader in East Sussex

Reform UK’s county councillors in East Sussex have elected a group leader.

In a press release issued on Friday (May 15),  East Sussex County Council’s Reform UK group named Andy Woolley as its new leader. He is a long-time parish councillor and the newly-elected county councillor for Heathfield and Mayfield .

The group elected Bexhill West councillor Pete Morley as its deputy leader and Hailsham New Town councillor Paul Soane as its secretary.

Last week’s local elections saw the party become the county council’s single largest political grouping. Reform UK represents 22 out of 50 council divisions — a few seats short of an overall majority.

The rest of the council is formed of: 13 Liberal Democrats; 11 Green Party councillors; three Conservatives; and  an Independent councillor.

In a statement included in the press release, Cllr Woolley said: “We have 22 seats, and we are under no illusions about what that means. Forming an administration will require the genuine support of others, and we are seeking that in good faith.

“We have already reached out to the other groups. We are not asking them to abandon their identities or their principles. We are asking whether we can find sufficient common ground – on the roads, the finances, the quality of care – to work together for the people of East Sussex. We believe we can, and we will continue making that case.”

He added: “If we are lucky enough to gain the support of other parties and form an administration, we will not be rushing to tear things up.

“We would take the time to understand what we have inherited – the good as well as the difficult – and make decisions based on evidence and on what is genuinely in residents’ interests.

“East Sussex has had enough of politics as performance. An administration formed with the support of others would be one that governs for everyone, and that can be judged on what it actually delivers.”

The county council is due to elect a new leader onThursday (May 21). They would be expected to name a cabinet and form an administration.

A spokesman for the council’s Liberal Democrat group said: “After the recent elections, East Sussex County Council is in no overall control. Discussions are continuing on a decision to shape the next administration.”

A Green Party spokesman said: “The Green Party group have had initial meetings with colleagues at County Hall and are continuing those conversations with a view to positive outcomes for the 71 per cent of East Sussex residents who did not support a Reform UK administration.”

In its release, a Reform UK spokesman said the group hoped to be ‘judged on what it delievers’.

Cllr Woolley said: “Every resident of East Sussex – whatever they voted, however they feel about Reform UK – has the same claim on this council’s attention and effort.

“We are aware that in some parts of East Sussex, particularly in Hastings and Eastbourne, a great deal of misinformation circulated during this campaign about what Reform UK stands for.

“Let us be direct: Reform UK will not privatise the NHS. We want to fix it – cut waiting lists, reduce waste, get patients seen faster. We stand by everything we said in this campaign.

“What we are asking for is the chance to be judged on what we actually do in office, not on the caricature others chose to paint of us.”

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