Reform UK council targets potholes and fly-tipping

A newly appointed council leader has outlined priorities for his administration, focusing on potholes, fly-tipping and local government spending.

Mark Arnull was elected as leader of Reform UK-run West Northamptonshire Council on 14 May, following his party's strong showing in the local elections.

Reform UK won 42 of the 76 available seats, securing control of the local authority.

Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton, Arnull said: "Our priorities are potholes, fly-tipping, and how money is spent in local government."

Arnull, who joined Reform UK in November 2024 after leaving the Conservative Party, said he had "lost enthusiasm for what [the Conservatives] were doing" and felt they failed to support small businesses.

He said the local authority's focus would now be "a very visible kind of local politics", promising that councillors would regularly engage with communities to ensure they were seen and heard.

Addressing pothole repairs, Arnull said: "We're going to look at [pothole repair] contracts... and see if there's value for money. It's not going to be a quick fix - there are huge problems."

He also vowed action on fly-tipping and a review of council spending.

The new administration will also undertake a review of council spending and reaffirmed that it would not adopt diversity and inclusion (DI) training.

"We believe all people should be treated equally and you don't need DI training to do that," Arnull said.

The public sector union Unison has criticised the decision, warning it could negatively impact public services and community relations.

Emma Roberts, Unison's East Midlands head of local government, said: "Refusing diversity training shows a complete lack of willingness to understand and represent the communities [the council] serve."

Following criticism of two councillors for social media posts, Arnull added: "[Councillors] are briefed on professional standards in public life... the focus of my administration is absolutely on diplomacy and statecraft and getting it right."

On climate change issues, he said the council would be examining local initiatives: "That's quite a tricky subject. I'm looking at local net zero issues at the moment."

He added the success of the new administration would be measured by public engagement and visibility.

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