Bullish leader George Finch boasted that Reform UK's plan for Warwickshire County Council proves they are "here to stay" – but opponents insist they have cooked up nothing new.

Reform took control at Shire Hall in May 2025 and have faced a number of calls to set out an agenda, a draft of which was presented this week. 

'Recalibrating Warwickshire' is an overarching document that sets out the aims of the party in charge through a framework that individual policies and decisions will be guided by. 

It is set to replace the plan put in place by the previous Conservative administration with a four-week public engagement exercise taking place in March and April. It will then be considered by various overview and scrutiny committees before being voted on by all councillors in May.

It vows to "fight for the best interests of local people", cut waste and "needless red tape and bureaucracy", including a review of "every contract to ensure value for money", and focus on "prevention" of problems aligned to "personal responsibility and early intervention" in a bid to "reduce the likelihood of an individual needing more expensive care in later life".

There is a promise to seek "clear, common-sense outcomes" and "review previous commitments on net zero", placing the phrase climate emergencies in inverted commas and shift focus to a "practical environment and energy plan" targeting "lower bills, cleaner rivers and less flooding". 

It continues: "We will make sure that we meet our legal obligations but we will remove unnecessary form filling and box-ticking exercises.

"We will talk openly and proudly about personal responsibility, the limits of what the council can and what it should do, while championing the importance of strong families and local communities."

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Cllr Finch introduced it as "monumental change" and that the time taken was justified "to make sure that the approach was strategic".

In a jab at opposition, he said: "We're not here to just change a few paintings, change the wallpaper or to just be here for 30 years, sit in opposition and moan. 

"We are here to make monumental change, change that hasn't been seen in decades.

"The main points for me are that we are here to stay as a Reform administration, albeit in a minority. 

"We are making sure the people of Warwickshire are listened to and we are acting on what they ask us to do."

Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, who has served at Shire Hall for more than 30 years, said: "I have seen a lot of these plans come and go. Monumental change? Not really. It isn't, I can assure it is not. 

"A lot of this is rehashed stuff, different words that I have seen before, the same direction of travel."

He also questioned whether four weeks was long enough for meaningful public engagement.

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"I suppose if you are just doing (this) to them, fine," he said.

"If you are talking about proper consultation, four weeks is probably not long enough. It doesn't fit the usual standards."

Cllr Finch replied: "For many years you have had Conservative council plans, 20-odd years ago Labour plans. For the first time we are seeing a Reform council plan, which has never been done."

Green group leader Cllr Jonathan Chilvers compared the current and proposed plans, accusing Reform of "backing down" from the realities of climate change. 

"There is a really strong thread through the entire plan about long-term sustainability," he said.

"All of that – well, most of it – has been stripped out and I think that's deeply disappointing and irresponsible. 

"I want my children and all children in Warwickshire to grow up with food security, to be safe from flooding, to have energy security and lower bills. Those things won't happen by accident and we need to be providing that leadership."

Cllr Finch described the shift as "mission accomplished for Reform voters" and made the case for "getting the county moving".

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"The people asked us to stop net zero and all that jazz, the luxury of cycle lanes and all this green happiness that you imagine upon the people of Warwickshire which, actually, they don't want," he said.