Reform UK is facing questions over the deleted and replaced chunks of its original vision for Warwickshire County Council – including the commitment to "being a great employer".

Council plans are politically-led and lay out the priorities of those elected to run the authority, guiding the strategies that flow from them and by extension council policies.

Reform UK took charge in May 2025 as the biggest party at Shire Hall but without enough seats for outright control, meaning they are always balancing the need to avoid blanket dissent from political rivals on bigger decisions.

A draft of Reform's first council plan came forward in March with feedback from the public and fellow councillors obtained before tweaks were made.

It will be voted on by all councillors at Thursday's annual council (May 14, 10am) having been approved to go forward by the Reform UK cabinet – panel of councillors in charge of major service areas – on Monday.

But it was at Monday's meeting that some of the quietly dropped phrases were highlighted.

Conservative group leader Cllr Adrian Warwick, who insisted the plan was "not exactly a revolutionary document" and one that largely continued the work the Tories had done prior before losing power, pointed out: "The aim to be a great employer has been removed from this and it would be nice to see that phrase back in there, that we strive to be a great employer."

He went on to advocate Warwickshire Property & Development Group – the council's own housebuilding arm – getting involved in training and apprenticeships to help with youth employment.

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Leader Cllr George Finch stated he was keen to "magpie that idea" with opportunities for young people "a priority of this administration" but he did not address Cllr Warwick's previous point.

What changed?

The initial phrase was exactly that – 'being a great employer' was one of four headings of work to ensure the county council is "fit for the future".

The second draft changed 'being a great employer' to 'delivering excellence', and a lot of the commitments also changed.

Originally, ambitions included the creation of "a high-performance culture for our workforce", ensuring the council "has the talent and future skills it needs while reducing agency spend and adapting to the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI)".

There was also a wish to "grow and develop local talent" through more apprenticeships and development pathways, and "attract and retain the very best talent by being a great employer with a positive culture, engaging leadership and modern and efficient HR processes".

An aim to reduce stubbornly-high staff sickness levels was also mentioned.

Reform's new version, which was not subject to the public engagement exercise, reads: "Taxpayers should not be funding inefficiency. We will reduce dependency on expensive agency staff, modernise how we work and make every pound count.

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"We strive for Warwickshire jobs going to Warwickshire people wherever possible, with apprenticeships and development routes that give local residents a future here.

"We will ensure clear leadership, strong standards and a culture focused on performance and delivery for residents."

A north-south divide?

The section labelled 'drive community power' also underwent significant change with a replacement 'empowering local communities' section jumping from improving "social infrastructure and outcomes in the most deprived parts of the county" to "direct support, investment and practical help into the towns and neighbourhoods that have been neglected for too long, especially in the north of the county".

Other omissions related to the environment and climate change were highlighted but when questioned as to how much feedback his party had taken from the council's overview and scrutiny committees – cross-party panels that make non-binding recommendations on council policies and its work – Cllr Finch said: "There were quite a few recommendations that we added in.

"Many of our councillors said there wasn't enough bite in it, and now there is a bit of a bite. People want to see a plan of action, not just fluffy words and soundbites. We want to actually get something done."

The plan will require support from a majority of councillors present at Thursday's meeting to be implemented.