The Liberal Democrats and Labour have taken aim with Reform saying the election ‘should be about who can deliver real results for Hull’
The Reform UK campaign rally at Hull’s Connexin Live in March(Image: Getty Images)
Reform UK has been criticised by both the Liberal Democrats and Labour Party in Hull after fielding a number of candidates for next month’s Hull City Council elections who do not live in the city. The party has put forward four candidates who live in the East Riding of Yorkshire for the votes on May 7.
Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is looking to build upon its success in last year’s Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral election which saw Luke Campbell voted in as the region’s first Combined Authority leader. The party currently has no councillors on Hull City Council ahead of voters going to the polls next month.
The authority’s Liberal Democrat and Labour groups, who rarely see eye-to-eye, have both raised concerns about Reform UK’s candidates after a list of all those running in the election was published last week. The council’s published list of candidates of states that four of Reform’s nineteen candidates have addresses in the East Riding. These are in areas such as Preston and Winestead, Hull Live understands.
A Liberal Democrat spokesperson told Hull Live: “It beggars belief that nearly a quarter of Reform UK candidates standing this time don’t even live in Hull. Reform UK’s group of chancers have not even won a seat in Hull yet, and they’re already taking people for granted.
“The people of Hull don’t want a group of people from the East Riding deciding what their council tax should be spent on. This, on top of an invisible mayor, is just beyond the pale.”
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The leader of the Hull Labour Group, Cllr Daren Hale, has also criticised the party’s choice of candidates. He told Hull Live: “One of the main responsibilities of the council is to set the council tax rate each year – it’s wrong that people who don’t live in Hull, and presumably don’t pay council tax here, are seeking to become councillors in our city.
“Reform needs to clarify: do all of their candidates pay council tax in Hull? This shows that Reform doesn’t have the base of volunteers to find enough candidates from within our city, and that they simply do not care about Hull.”
Responding to the criticism from Labour and the Lib Dems locally, a Reform spokesperson told Hull Live: “The reality is Labour and the Lib Dems feel the need to mention Reform UK at every opportunity just to get residents to listen, because they know the momentum is shifting. This election should be about who can deliver real results for Hull, not political point scoring.
“The fact is that Reform UK is putting forward candidates with real-life experience, strong established local ties, and a proven track record of delivering for local people. The suggestion these candidates have no connection to Hull is simply wrong, they work here, invest here, own property here, and support local residents every day.”
Reform are not the only party to have put forward candidates for the upcoming Hull elections who live in the East Riding. In total there are seven standing candidates with addresses in the East Riding, four Reform and three Conservative.
Nineteen seats are up for grabs on May 7. Hull City Council‘s current political weighting is as follows:
- 29 – Liberal Democrats
- 23 – Labour Party
- 5 – Independent
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