After poll success in Kent, Reform party seeks a leader
The Conservative leader has been ousted but who will replace him?
After the euphoria of its election victory, the party that scored an astonishing success and wiped out the Conservatives after decades in power in Kent faces new challenges.
And the first is to find and appoint a leader of the county council who has the unenviable task of dealing with innumerable issues, not least the task of putting the finances in order amid forecasts of an £80m black hole.
There are a multitude of other problems to address - with the government’s demand for the county council to put forward plans for creating new unitary councils to replace the county council being among the trickiest
It might be thought that the job has few attractions but don’t forget: Kent is the largest authority in the country, serving some 1.2m people and has a high public profile.
Potholes has become a political hot potato…
Any aspiring politician who wants to elevate their profile should be dusting off their CVs now to pitch for a job that will take them to the political front line.
As things stand, we hear - perhaps not surprisingly - that a number of the 57 newly-elected Reform party members have expressed interest in going for the job, which comes with an annual allowance of £57,574.06, consisting of a basic allowance of £17,123 plus £40,451.
The crowded field is leading to some organisational difficulties but those appear to have been ironed out
The vote will be held on Thursday and the outcome will be determined by a majority, with the candidate with the least number of votes dropping out each round.
One senior county councillor who had been tipped for the job has ruled out standing. Cllr Richard Palmer was among independent Swale councillors who defected to the Reform party just weeks before polling day.
He was returned as a Reform party councillor last week and was seen as a potential candidate. But he has told me that while he would have loved to do the job, he was not the right person just now.
“They [the party] needs someone who is the right person for the right time; I did consider it but decided against it.”
It was important for the party to take its time over the process to ensure that everyone had a say. “The one thing I would advise the party to do is not rush to a decision.”
Time is a precious commodity for the Reform party - it needs to be seen to be acting on some of its headline-grabbing proposals to ensure it is a serious proposition, not one that just proffers a different type of politics.
One contender for the job is Brian Collins, elected for a division in Ashford says the party is keen to get going but stressed that it had to be up-front with voters.
“There are exciting times ahead but we have to manage expectations. It is not going to be easy but I am confident we can do it,” he said.