Reform UK took control of Essex County Council in May, ending 25 years of Conservative rule and winning 53 seats. The new administration has declared a "pothole emergency" with a £7.5m pledge, launched a review of climate policies, reversed a library reservation fee while tightening promotional guidance in libraries, removed the Ukrainian flag from County Hall and signalled legal opposition to planned local government reorganisation. It has also reinstated the Lord's Prayer and the National Anthem at full council meetings.
Six Major Moves by Reform UK Since Taking Control of Essex County Council
Peter Harris has been ringing the changes since becoming leader of Essex County Council [John Fairhall/BBC]
Senior Reform UK councillors in Essex have moved quickly since May's local elections, when the party ended 25 years of Conservative control and won 53 seats on the county council. In the weeks since assuming leadership, the new administration has announced a series of high-profile policy shifts and symbolic changes aimed at reshaping local priorities.
The council has declared a "pothole emergency" in Essex [Getty Images]
1. Pothole Emergency and Highways Action Plan
At the first full council meeting, leader Peter Harris declared a "pothole emergency" and pledged an action plan to improve Essex's roads. The county maintains almost 5,000 miles of roads and has recorded 8,658 pothole compensation claims over the past five years, costing the council about £504,666 in payouts.
Russell Quirk, the council's deputy leader, said pursuing net-zero was "fatally expensive" [John Fairhall/BBC]
Reform has said it will increase pothole repair crews from nine to 12 so every district has a dedicated team, aim to fix defects previously classified as non-urgent within 90 days, and has pledged £7.5m to tackle the backlog. The council reports nearly 31,000 recorded defects and completed roughly 12,000 repairs in the year from April 2025 to March 2026 under the previous administration.
Russell Quirk (left) and Peter Harris, pictured at Chelmsford Library, have removed the library book reservation fee [Essex County Council]
2. Review And Repositioning Of Climate Policy
Leader Peter Harris criticised what he called "net stupid zero" policies and announced plans to scrap any strategies he believes are unrealistic for a local authority. Before Reform took control, Essex County Council had allocated about £45.7m to climate-related activities for 2026–27, including home energy efficiency, flood management and bus service improvements. An £11.9m recarbonisation grant must be spent by the end of 2027.
A Ukrainian flag had flown outside County Hall since 2022 [PA Media]
The council says a full review of climate activities is under way. Climate experts have warned that abandoning practical measures—such as home insulation, heat pumps and solar panels—could increase long-term energy costs and miss opportunities to reduce bills.
A model of five all-purpose councils in Essex was backed by the government in March [BBC]
3. Libraries: Neutrality Policy And Fee Reversal
Library staff were instructed to scale back active promotion of specific events such as Pride and Black History Month so that Essex's 74 libraries are presented as "neutral spaces". The change drew criticism from opposition councillors and campaign groups who described it as censorious.
Reform says it wants to reverse an "erosion of civic patriotism" [Reuters]
Shortly after taking office, the new administration also scrapped a recently introduced £1.15 reservation fee for adults. The charge had been expected to generate roughly £150,000 a year to help cover transport and handling of stock between branches: between September 2024 and 2025 some 427,422 items were moved for reservations and 32,842 were not collected, creating extra costs. The leader called removing the fee "a tax on reading and learning" and said no other services would be cut to pay for the change.
4. Ukrainian Flag Removed From County Hall
A week after the change in administration, the Ukrainian flag that had been flying outside County Hall was taken down and replaced by an additional Union flag, in line with national Reform guidance that councils display only union, national, county or armed forces flags. The council said it had contacted 830 Ukrainian guests and 311 sponsors about the relocation; opponents warned the move could be misinterpreted and some individuals said they were not consulted as reported by council members.
5. Legal Challenge And Objections To Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)
Leader Peter Harris wrote to the Communities Secretary describing the government's proposed reorganisation—replacing 15 local authorities with five all-purpose councils—as "ill-thought, expensive and purely ideological" and warned it could threaten frontline services such as social care. The government-backed shake-up is planned for 2028 and is intended to simplify structures and accelerate housebuilding; the government has not yet responded to the letter.
6. Reinstating Civic Rituals At Full Council Meetings
The new administration has restored the Lord's Prayer at the start of full council meetings and the singing of the National Anthem at the close. The changes were introduced by the council leadership rather than a full vote and have prompted mixed reactions: some councillors welcomed the symbolic return to tradition, while others urged the council to prioritise practical outcomes over ceremony.
What Happens Next
The next full council meeting is scheduled for 14 July. The administration says it will publish reviews and action plans on highways, climate activities and other priorities in due course.
Contact details and links to further local coverage were included in the original report.
Help us improve.
