In the year after the 2025 Local Elections, Reform saw a whopping 73 councillors leave their posts either through the way of suspension, expulsion, resignation, or other means. And, in the few weeks following the 2026 Local Elections, it appears we’re in for more of the same.
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How many Reform councillors have left the party since being elected?
Between 12 months separating both election dates, Reform lost almost 11% – or one in nine – of their council representatives across the country. In-fighting, budget constraints, rising tax bills, and even failed DOGE experiments have badly affected many local authorities run by the party.
The right-leaning organisation remain top of the opinion polls, and as it stands, they are in the strongest position to form a government at the next General Election. Alas, if these are the standards they’re setting at a local level, a national mandate would set many alarm bells ringing.
If they are serious about running this country, there is a simple and blunt truth. They need to get their act together, and in double-quick time. Reform and their supporters hoped that the latest regional ballots would offer a chance to hit the reset button. But it’s not panning out that way.
The cost of a council by-election
James Sidlow announced his resignation from Cambridgeshire County Council on Saturday, taking the number of Reform councillors who have stood down since Thursday 7 May 2026 up to 16 in total. That’s already 22% of the departures recorded in the previous year.
As it stands, that’s 88 councillors dismissed within 13 months. Though they may raise a wry smile among critics, turnovers like these can prove costly to the taxpayer. There will now be a council by-election in Sidlow’s seat – which could rack up a bill of more than £30,000.
Why have Reform lost so many councillors, and why?
Some councillors have resigned on their own accord, with others citing ‘personal reasons’ for relinquishing their responsibilities. However, a majority have been forced to leave – including Glenn Gibbins, a councillor elected in Sunderland who suggested Nigerians ‘should be melted to fill potholes’.
Jay Cooper, who ran in Sefton, resigned following reports he had called the Holocaust ‘a hoax’. Nathaniel Menday, who won in Sheffield, created a media storm when it was revealed he’d shared images of Swastikas and Mein Kampf online. Stuart Prior, elected in Essex, was expelled for ‘Islamophobic’ posts.
Oh, there’s also a porn star in that list too. Stephen Mousdell was elected as a Reform councillor in St Helen’s, but had to resign just a few days later after the Liverpool Echo exposed his past line of work. That’s some vetting system Nigel Farage and his colleagues have got, there.