Reform councillor resigns after failing to declare council employment

A Reform UK candidate who won a seat in Durham County Council in the May elections resigned after it emerged that he failed to declare that he was an employee of the local authority.

Andrew Kilburn, who was elected to Durham's Benfieldside Ward last week, stepped down from his seat just nine days into his tenure.

Kilburn was part of a wave of Reform candidates who won seats in Durham, resulting in the party gaining overall control of the local authority.

A spokesperson for Reform UK said the party understood that Kilburn did not declare his employment to the returning officer "as expected and is now required to resign his seat".

The statement added: "We look forward to contesting the upcoming by-election to give the people of Benfieldside a strong voice in Durham County Council."

A Durham County Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm one newly elected councillor has resigned with immediate effect.

“We will be going through the statutory process of declaring the vacancy and will announce details of a by-election should one be needed.”

Kilburn’s resignation comes after Reform UK's leader, Nigel Farage, warned council staff involved in climate change initiatives, diversity or equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives - or anyone wishing to continue working from home - to "begin seeking alternative careers very, very quickly".

In a speech in Durham following the party's success in the local elections, Farage added: "We want to reduce excessive expenditure, we want to find out who the long-term contracts are signed with and why and reduce the scale of local government back to what it ought to be: Providing social care, providing SEND needs for kids and mending potholes."

Adam Carey