Councillor Bella Simon, ward member for Short Hearth, has accused the Reform leadership in Walsall of abandoning the principles of ‘democracy and free speech’ after she was removed from the group in July. The now-independent member claimed in a social media post this week that she was removed after she tried to ‘defend councillors’ rights’.
The post follows the resignation of Councillor Daniel Rollinson from the Reform group earlier this week. Councillor Rollinson, ward member for New Invention, is now serving residents as an independent.
Three councillors leave Reform in four months
Councillor Simon and Councillor Rollinson are two of the three Reform councillors to become independents in the four months since the local elections. Former Reform member Councillor Robin Perry, for the Harden, Goscote and Ryecroft ward, was suspended from Reform in May in a row over discrimination.
Councillor Simon said Reform ‘tried the same’ against Councillor Rollinson, but he ‘refused to be controlled like a puppet or follow a corrupt leadership’. In her attack against Reform, Councillor Simon added that what’s happening locally ‘isn’t new’ and describes it as the ‘same old broken cycle’.
Council leader approached for comment
Councillor Elaine Williams, the leader of Walsall Council, has been approached for comment. The political spat has followed the resignation of a third Reform councillor since the May elections.
The departures leave the Reform group on Walsall Council with reduced numbers, as the three former members now sit as independents. The council’s political balance has shifted accordingly, though the full impact on committee membership and voting majorities remains to be seen.
