Who will be in charge in Leicestershire as Reform leads in county?
Although Reform UK has become the largest party in Leicestershire it does not hold overall majority - so who will be in charge at County Hall?The party won 25 seats, just shy of the 28 needed to take full control in the local elections on Thursday.The Conservatives lost control of Leicestershire County Council for the first time in almost a quarter of a century after winning just 14 seats, with the Liberal Democrats securing 11.Party leaders will now have to agree on a form of coalition, which could take days, to run the authority.
However, whoever does take charge of the county council will inherit unchanged issues which voters will want them to tackle including:Increasing demand for social care and special educational needs provisionFinancial challenges at County HallFixing potholes
Among Reform's headline wins were Michael Squires taking Valley from Conservative leader Nick Rushton.Elsewhere, Deborah Taylor, who was acting leader of the council, was re-elected to the Bradgate division for the Tories.She said on social media: "Many valued colleagues have been defeated and I am sorry to see them go."Discussions will be held over the next few days as to the way forward for Leicestershire."Lib Dems leader Michael Mullaney, who held De Montfort for the party, told the BBC: "With different parties winning seats, we'll have to see how things go in terms of things going forward."If parties agree with the Liberal Democrats' policies of investing more in roads and pavements, investing more in special educational needs and public transport and flood prevention, then we'll talk to any party."
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Wales Online
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an hour ago
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New Statesman
2 hours ago
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That's what her lines about 'stability' over 'chaos' are all about. And she must find a way to present her prioritisation of capital spending over day-to-day budgets not as austerity, but as investing in the future. It's the kind of challenge that requires not just a rock-solid grasp of the figures but a laser-like comms operation. Good luck, Rachel Reeves. [See more: Labour is losing Wales] Related
