Reform? No Local Plan, No Local Clue!
Last year I wrote a letter advising against voting Labour at the Borough Councils elections… yes I was running as a Local Conservative candidate but for good reason. Look at their broken promises and how they’ve treated Spudman, other market traders, how much they’ve wasted our tax payers money, how they’ve taxed to Max despite not needing to and of course Sunday parking…
This time we approach the Staffordshire County Council elections and its time we talk about the elephant in the room…or perhaps more accurately the leaflet in the bin.
Reform UK have arrived in our area like a pop-up shop, loud branding and bold slogans, but when you look closer, there’s no substance. Their leaflets? All national noise, not a single mention of a local plan or local issues in the wards they are standing in. Not even a whimper about the issues affecting us here in Staffordshire.
This isn’t campaigning—it’s branding. Slap “Reform” on a national talking point, send it to every postcode, and hope no one notices there’s absolutely nothing local being offered. Their main point is to stop the boats… Where in Tamworth? On the river? Or the canal system?
Let me be clear, residents deserve better than cut and paste leaflets and candidates who can’t name the last County Council decision that affects us. Reform aren’t even pretending to care about Staffordshire. Where are their plans for our pothole-ridden roads? Where are their ideas for supporting vulnerable residents or backing our schools and local infrastructure? Spoiler: there aren’t any, just generic we won’t do what labour or conservatives would do.
Compare that to local candidates (especially in Amington and Glascote 😉 )who’ve put in the hours, sat in and asked questions in council when not even elected,knocked on doors, and actually know the difference between a county council and Westminster soundbite.
Reform are a protest brand, not a real local option. They say they’re different, but how can we tell? They haven’t even turned up to the conversation. While others are trying to fix and fight for what matters here in Staffordshire, Reform are busy reposting memes and buzzwords about national immigration policy.
Local elections should be about local issues. If a party can’t be bothered to talk about our area, why on earth should we trust them to represent it?
Let’s keep the focus on what matters. We can challenge the status quo, but let’s do it with people who actually give a damn about Staffordshire and Tamworth, not parties who treat us like a line on a spreadsheet.
[Debunking: We’ve surprisingly seen the tide turning against Reform in comments on that barometer that is Facebook. Farage is affable enough, but he’s not the average bloke everyone thinks he is. He’s only ever been in it for the fame money and glory, he’s never done too bad out of politics and Nine Job Nigel is doing even better now.]
