Reform UK could consider Devon coalition

Party could work with Conservatives

Reform UK has said it could consider a coalition with the Conservatives if it held a majority share in any tie-up.

The party, which has no councillors in Devon at present, is fielding candidates in all 60 seats ahead of the county council elections tomorrow (Thursday 1 May).

That potentially means that the two parties - or any other possible coalition - would only need to secure 31 seats between them if they could agree to work together.

Devon was ruled under a coalition agreement between 2001 and 2005 when no party achieved a majority, and the council agreed a power-sharing arrangement with the first ever all-party administration in the council’s 120-year history.

Ed Hill, the chairman of the Reform UK branch in Exeter, who is running in the Pinhoe and Mincinglake division, said there could be circumstances where his party could consider collaborating with the Conservatives.

“We could only consider entering a coalition if Reform UK had the majority share or secured major commitments to serious reform,” he said.

“The Conservatives’ long track record of mismanaging public funds in Devon means we could not support a Conservative-led administration without significant changes.”

When the Conservatives set the council's budget earlier this year, the cabinet said it was "living within our means against a backdrop of rising demand and pressure on the services we provide".

Mr Hill added that Reform UK’s priority was “delivering real change for the people of Devon”, noting that the county’s residents wanted “accountability, responsibility, and honesty in local government”.

He thought the "worst outcome" would be for a Liberal Democrat, Labour, and Green coaltion.

Mike Goodman, chairman of the Devon Area Conservatives, said his party was aiming to retain power.

“What happens after [the election] is different, but all we are focused on now is winning the election,” he said.

“Nobody is talking about a coalition; there might have been some comments higher up [in the party] but locally all we are concerned about is working our socks off right up to and through polling day.”

Caroline Leaver, the current leader of the Lib Dem group in County Hall and who is also a candidate in the Barnstaple South seat, said the party was focusing on “campaigning to win as many seats as possible”.

“We won’t know the results until Friday so all we can do is wait and see what happens,” she said.

“When we know the results, then we can start the process of thinking about what may need to be done [if no single party has overall control]. That’s all we can do.”

Liz Pole, a spokesperson for Labour in Devon, said the party was focused on securing power in County Hall.

“Labour doesn’t do coalitions with other parties so I don’t imagine that will be on the table,” she said.

“But if there was a minority administration, or if there was no party with overall control after the election, then we may talk to council officers about trying to form a cabinet.”

Ms Pole added that the party had put candidates forward for every seat in the county council elections and was “ready to run the county council if we get the votes”.

Jacqi Hodgson, leader of the independent group on the council and a Green candidate in the Totnes and Dartington division, said the notion of a coalition was not something the party had discussed in terms of this election.

“But it is something we would consider as we always look to how we can best cooperate to serve the public,” she said.

“There’s no point being a small and isolated party which doesn’t work with anyone, so it would be strongly on the cards as we would want to see how we could work best across the county.”

The political make-up of Devon County Council at present is firmly Conservative, with 40 of the 60 seats being held by the party.

The Liberal Democrats have nine, followed by Labour with six. There are also two Green and two independent members. The sixtieth member, Lib Dem Councillor Frank Letch, died earlier this month (8 April).

A full list of election candidates is available on the Devon County Council website.