Reform councillors in Kent condemned for spending thousands on political assistants
Reform UK’s “flagship” local authority, Kent county council, has been condemned for pushing through plans to spend tens of thousands of pounds on hiring political assistants.The move comes after councillors from Nigel Farage’s party in Warwickshire were accused of hypocrisy in July when they voted to spend £150,000 on the advisers, some of whom are being parachuted in by the national party to deal with a litany of issues at Reform-run councils.Both councils face budget crises and Reform candidates were voted in on pledges to cut waste and save money.A new leaked recording of a meeting of the Reform councillors in Kent – wearing turquoise Santa’s elf hats – showed them being told earlier this week by one of their leaders, Maxwell Harrison, that a former Reform director of campaigning and training at the party’s head office had been hired by the council as a “political assistant”.Harrison named him as Michael Hadwen, who has attracted controversy for social media posts including expressing support for Enoch Powell’s ideas about immigration.
In response to a tweet by Daniel Hannan, the Conservative politician, which said that Powell was wrong about immigration, Hadwen said: “Enoch was right, he was just before the times,”In April 2018 – about a month after Russian agents attempted to assassinate Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury – Hadwen also said that “Russia is not my enemy”, adding: “We should be working with them, and not throwing around threats like a spoilt child,”The appointment was voted through on Thursday with 45 votes in favour and 26 against at a meeting of Kent county council, where Reform continues to hold a majority after it purged a number of councillors amid bitter internal divisions,Those reprisals came after footage leaked to the Guardian showed Reform councillors squabbling among themselves and being told to “fucking suck it up” by their leader, Linden Kemkaran,Reform UK has used a clause in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 which allows councils to appoint a maximum of three persons to provide assistance to members of political groups.
The assistants can be paid salaries of up to £49,282, excluding national insurance and pension contributions.The Liberal Democrat group leader, Antony Hook, accused Reform of “wanting to spend public money on a political apparatchik to tell them what to do”.He said: “Kent county council is in a worsening financial state under Reform with the projected overspend now at £46m and rising.“The person mentioned appears to have a record of concerning views such as endorsing the racist Enoch Powell who spoke against the idea people of different races living happily together in Britain.The person named has evidently also said we should work with Russia.
”A Reform UK Kent spokesperson said: “Providing professional political support to its leadership is entirely proportionate, and the role will be cost neutral.“Kent county council’s budget is double that of the Treasury department, which has eight political advisers, and larger than the Department for Business and Trade, who employ four political advisers, despite both already employing armies of civil servants.“Political assistants are a normal and established part of local government.Many councils, including the Lib Dem-controlled Gloucestershire county council, have allocated budgets for these roles.”
UK government strategy to protect women and girls from violence ‘seriously underfunded’
A landmark strategy to protect women and girls from violence and abuse “falls seriously short” of the funding required to realise the government’s ambitions, campaigners have said.The government’s strategy to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG) was hailed as a “milestone” by women’s organisations. It will focus on prevention and tackling harmful behaviours in boys, by teaching pupils about healthy relationships and pornography and equipping teachers with the skills to intervene if they witness disturbing or worrying behaviour.Presenting the strategy in the House of Commons on Thursday, Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, who has played a central role in developing the policies, said the strategy was backed by £1bn of funding and was “more than a document”.“It is a call from a government that recognises this as a national emergency, a government that is willing to back up its words with action,” she said
Long waits and ‘unacceptable’ lack of data at NHS gender clinics in England, review finds
Doctors treating vulnerable patients with gender dysphoria have no way of assessing whether the NHS treatment provided has worked because outcomes are not systematically recorded, a damning official inquiry into the clinics has found.Waiting times for a first appointment at NHS adult gender dysphoria clinics (GDCs) in England are projected to reach 15 years unless there are improvements, the review found. The number of people seeking treatment is rising significantly and on average patients are already waiting five years and seven months for a first assessment.The review conducted by Dr David Levy, an NHS medical director and cancer specialist, was commissioned after last year’s Cass report on gender care for children and young people.Levy, an NHS medical director and cancer specialist, took a team to nine NHS England clinics to assess the effectiveness and safety of each service, interviewing staff and patients
Stay at home if you have flu symptoms, experts urge amid fears of second surge
People should stay home over the Christmas period if they have symptoms of flu or Covid, experts have warned amid fears flu cases could see a second surge in the New Year.Flu levels appear to be plateauing, but it is too soon to say whether they have peaked, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). As a result, experts are urging people to wash their hands regularly, make sure indoor spaces are well ventilated, get a free vaccination if eligible, and stay home where possible if symptoms develop.An average of 3,140 people were in hospital with flu each day by the end of last week, an increase of 18% compared with the previous week. At the same time last year, an average of 2,629 patients were in hospital, while in 2023 the number was 648
Better to be online than on hold for a GP | Brief letters
As the sole parent of two disabled children who have lots of medical needs, I have found the new GP online booking system an immense improvement (Letters, 12 December). It is efficient and far less stressful for me. My inner‑city practice responds quickly. It is streets ahead of the old system where I was caller No 26 at 9am.Anne McLaughlinManchester Politicians of all stripes have condemned the resident doctors for striking for meaningful progress in getting their pay back to real-terms parity with that prior to the 2008 crash (Officials fear NHS will be hit hard after resident doctors reject latest offer, 15 December)
Council funding deal: who are the winners and losers – and will tax bills rise?
English councils have received a new three-year financial settlement. But is it fair? Who are the winners and losers? Will your council tax bill go up, and will it stop councils from declaring effective bankruptcy?The government announced a three-year funding settlement for English councils on Wednesday. This sets out each local authority’s core finance allocation, enabling them to set local council tax bills for next April and finalise an overall budget.For the first time, government funding for councils was distributed using a new Fair Funding formula that gives higher weighting (and thus a greater relative share of overall resources) to local authorities with high “deprivation” scores (relative deprivation is measured by factors such as income, employment, health, housing costs and crime).Middlesbrough, Manchester and Birmingham were among the most deprived local authority areas according to the latest indices of deprivation – and they will see some of the biggest increases in spending power from April
Acas offers to help break deadlock in resident doctors’ strike
The conciliation service Acas has offered to help try to break the deadlock in the resident doctors’ strike in England.The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service has made clear that it is willing to become involved in an effort to find a resolution to the long-running dispute, as medics remain on strike for the 14th time over pay and jobs.Acas’s intervention comes after NHS bosses and the Patients Association in recent days urged the government and the British Medical Association to agree to independent mediation to break the deadlock.“Acas is in contact with all the parties involved in the resident doctors’ dispute,” said Kevin Rowan, the body’s director of dispute resolution.However, Acas quickly clarified its position after Rowan’s statement led to speculation that it was already involved in trying to broker a deal
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