Tories take over council after deal with Reform UK

The Conservatives have wrestled back control of Redditch Borough Council - after striking an agreement with Reform UK.

During a full council meeting, the two parties teamed up with three independent councillors to kick the Labour leadership from office.

It means Tory councillor Matt Dormer is back for a second spell as the authority's leader, two years after he was ousted by Labour.

"People voted for change, and that's what we'll be giving them", he said.

It follows the local election results earlier this month, when Reform won almost every seat that was up for grabs in the town, leaving no party in overall control.

Under the deal, the Conservatives will run the council under a so-called confidence and supply agreement, with Reform councillors being given the mayor's role, the deputy mayoralty and the chance to chair the committees that oversee functions like planning and licensing.

It comes despite the Tories only having four seats on the council, with Reform on seven and Labour now in opposition with 13.

Dormer added: "What we have here is a Conservative administration with broad support from some other groups - the independents and Reform.

"We've got to crack on and get things done for Redditch now - people voted for change at the local elections, yes the Conservatives weren't necessarily that change, but this is the only way of delivering change."

Councillor Nic Pioli, leader of Redditch's Reform group, said: "In the local elections it was clear to me that Redditch residents wanted Labour out, that was what they were telling us on the doorsteps.

"Given the political opportunity that was offered to us, we took Labour down - that was what people wanted.

"We will hold the Conservatives to the same standards we held Labour to, we are still in opposition, but we have a lot more leverage now."

The change of administration was approved by a single vote, with none of the independents opting to speak during a short debate.

Councillor Sharon Harvey, the ousted former Labour leader, called Reform "weak and inexperienced" and said she feared "chaos and upheaval" with the change in leadership.

"Reform's idea of fixing politics in Redditch is to go back in time," she said.

This was an extraordinary deal that barely looked on the cards a few weeks ago - simply because of the arithmetic that was needed to make it work.

Yes, Labour had a torrid night at the local elections, with Reform winning eight of the nine seats that were up for grabs in the town, but despite that political bloodbath, Labour was still only one seat short of an overall majority.

It therefore appeared odds on that Labour would stay in control, especially as two of the council's three independents - Joe Baker and Wanda King - are former Labour councillors, albeit disaffected ones.

But Dormer is a canny politician - he had been studying the various scenarios in recent weeks, and on election night actually started talking to Reform candidates about the possibilities that lay ahead.

You could describe him as the comeback king. Only 10 or so weeks ago Dormer was suspended by the Conservative Party amid talk of a potential defection to Reform, only to be reinstated after he made it clear there was nothing in it.

Crucially, unlike the saga at Worcestershire County Council, where the Tories had to bail on a deal, this will not be a coalition in Redditch.

It will be a Tory administration, propped up where required with Reform and independent votes, 14 in total, one more than Labour.

The six-strong cabinet does include two independent councillors. Ashley Monk, who quit Reform earlier this month, has the housing portfolio, while Wanda King is also in the new cabinet, although she has no specific responsibility.

For Reform's ranks of new councillors, it means they get to dip their toes into the choppy waters of local government, learning as they go, and they can say "we're not in charge" if anything goes wrong.

Reform also get the mayor's office and the deputy mayoralty - meaning their councillors get the chance to be seen out and about, as civic leaders in the community.

Then there's the opportunity to chair those various council committees where much work gets done, including planning and scrutiny.

For Labour it will be devastating - they are now confined to opposition despite being the largest party on the authority by some distance.

The challenge for the Tories will be making sure the new administration has legs, knowing they only have four of the council's 27 seats - a highly unusual situation that appears without precedent.

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