Reform to 'dumb down' diversity and net zero plans

Warwickshire County Council is now led by Reform UK's Rob Howard

The new leader of Warwickshire County Council has pledged to "dumb down" net zero and diversity initiatives at the authority.

But Rob Howard told the BBC change would not happen overnight as the 22 newly elected Reform councillors get to grips with how the council works.

The party became the largest on the local authority following May's local elections, as the previous Conservative administration lost 32 seats, including that of former council leader Izzi Seccombe.

Becoming council leader will be Howard's first job in politics, although he has some experience of the political scene having finished third running for the party at the 2024 general election in Nuneaton.

He faces no shortage of challenges, not least the fact Reform has a minority administration, meaning the party needs the support of others to pass motions.

Reform celebrate their success in Nuneaton during the Warwickshire County Council election count in May

So far, the Conservatives have helped Reform get their votes over the line, but the alliance is not guaranteed and the leader says decisions will be made on a "case by case basis".

But how could things look different under Reform?

Howard said: "Things can't suddenly change overnight, but certainly initiatives to do with net zero will be dumbed down as much as we possibly can and the same with DEI [Diversity, Equality and Inclusion] they're two things... that we don't particularly like as a party."

Green councillor Keith Kondakor said the scale of the council and responsibility for the most vulnerable people in the county should be "terrifying" for such an inexperienced party

The first full council meeting following the local elections saw Green Party councillor Keith Kondakor suggest Reform should be "terrified" at the prospect of running such a large local authority with such little experience.

But Howard - a marketing expert, originally from Coventry - said he was not intimidated by the challenge of running a local authority with £1.5bn of assets and a revenue budget of about £500m.

"At the end of the day there's a job to be done, simple as that," he said.

Diversity and net zero projects at Warwickshire County Council face cuts

The new leader was on holiday when he was appointed, prompting members of the Green Party on the council to label him the "absent leader" during the full council meeting where he was voted in.

Howard said he would "accept the criticism" but added: "I think a lot of people think I just deliberately booked the holiday just so I could keep out the limelight, but no.

"It was a holiday I booked before Christmas, which, at the time, I didn't know the significance of the dates in May."

Howard also said he had been assured by council officers that the authority could operate without him being present and that he had actually ended up spending about half his time on holiday dealing with council business.

Peter Butlin, former Tory finance portfolio holder, presented a report ahead of the elections which warned the cost of Send provision presented a huge risk to the council

The authority faces severe challenges around finances, particularly in relation to special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision in the county, with the bill expected to reach £84.7m by April 2026 - about 13% of its annual budget.

Howard said he was "aware" of the issue but did not "know enough" to comment on it in detail.

When asked what the biggest issues facing the county were, he said: "Population explosion is probably the best way to describe it, everybody else calls it immigration.

"All of that is putting pressure on roads, on housing, on schools, the NHS in terms of waiting lists and so on and so forth. It's no secret that it's a big concern of us as a party."