Critics question governance and treatment of protesters at Staffordshire County Council
The Reform-led council has come under fire for its focus on culture wars, including removal of Pride displays across county libraries, and attempts to silence its critics
Since sweeping to power back in the May 2025 local elections by winning 49 of the 62 seats available, the Reform-led Staffordshire County Council has been mired in controversy, with two leaders forced to step down for racist social media posts, and councillor Charlotte Kelly defecting to the Conservatives last month due to allegations of regular bullying, swearing, and sexism within her local Reform branch.
The council’s third leader, Cllr Martin Murray, was appointed in March 2026 under a mandate of “stability, strong leadership and focus”. Conservative members, however, voted against Murray's formal appointment to the leadership role while Green Party and local independent councillors chose to abstain rather than support him.
One vocal critic of the administration is Cllr Alec Sandiford, who characterised the current administration’s leadership as “Trumpian” and lacking in transparency, citing the use of “smoke and mirrors” to avoid public scrutiny. He also accused the administration of misleading the public about its powers, particularly regarding national issues such as immigration, over which the county council has no direct control.
He expressed frustration on the breakdown in engagement between council officers and other local bodies. This includes Reform councillors’ reluctance to work with other councils, districts, and boroughs, which negatively impacts cross-council collaborations such as highways enforcement.
Cllr Murray was approached for comment but did not respond before publication.
Culture wars prioritised as spending questioned
Cllr Sandiford told The Knot that, instead of prioritising collective decision-making for the benefit of the community, it is leading with Westminster-style identity politics. “There’s no direction from the current administration, all they’ve got is culture wars like a proposal to scrap “woke” EDI training and another to change the policy on dress code so all council members have to wear a suit, shirt and tie even when it’s 28 degrees or more. It’s really quite archaic and there are bigger problems to deal with.”
The council is currently requesting that the government write off around £90 million of accumulated SEND-related deficit while simultaneously highlighting about a £6 million underspend which, Sandiford argues, could result in less funding from central government in the future.
He added that it has spent £350,000 on additional security since coming to power last May, including £35,000 between January and May alone.
“They’re pound shop Trump wannabes playing Westminster politics in the local area” – Cllr Alec Sandiford
