Right, picking the bones out of this one is going to be a ride. But here we are. A council meeting in Kirklees, Leeds descended into abject chaos this week, after Reform councillors admitted that they ‘did not understand’ some of the local government procedures.
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‘Some’ might be quite the understatement. Footage shared online this week captures the scarcely believable moment a newly elected representative of Reform faced the chamber, and painfully explained all the things she and her colleagues were struggling to grasp.
Sarah Wood explained that the new intake of Reform members were not quite up to speed with some fairly basic council processes. Speaking on behalf of her party, she stated that they ‘did not know’ what the constitution was, nor did they understand a ‘standing order’ or an ‘amendment’.
“We don’t understand the constitution. We don’t understand what standing orders are, nor do We understand what an amendment is. We might vote for something we don’t understand, even if you were to slow it down and describe it properly.”
“We understand that, because we don’t understand it, this vote may not be constitutional. we are at a disadvantage. We don’t necessarily know what we are voting for. We don’t understand some of the procedures… we have been partly confused because we don’t understand the rules.” | Sarah Wood
And, for those who need to see it before they believe it, a clip has started doing the rounds online
Kirklees Council meeting upended by ‘confused’ participants
Though the farce has raised a few titters online, Kirklees Council now faces a race against time to elect a leader and form a functioning local government. Following the dysfunctional session, another attempt to forge a way forward will take place on Thursday 28 May.
There has been a degree of sympathy expressed for Councillor Wood online – who clearly wasn’t the only Reform representative grappling with the basics. She was tasked with explaining the difficulty her whole cohort had faced, indirectly making her the face of this collective naivety.
One Tory councillor offered a vague show of support, shrewdly remarking that ‘the first day of school is always hard’. However, other members of the council have been less patient. Tanisha Bramwell, an independent representative for Dewsbury West, accused Reform of failing to give ‘clear answers’.
“Throughout the meeting, Reform councillors openly admitted they did not understand key parts of council procedure, including the constitution, amendments and, at times, what they were actually voting on.”
“Kirklees Reform proposed Sarah Wood as Leader of the Council, yet the vote collapsed twice. When asked about policies and plans for running the council, clear answers were difficult to find. Our residents deserve better than what was on display this evening.” | Tanisha Bramwell