Local Elections 2023: Reform UK puts up six candidates in county

Reform UK will contest six wards in Herefordshire for the first time at the county election on May 4

Founded only in 2018 as the Brexit Party, it won 29 seats in the UK’s last European Parliament elections in 2019.

Under the leadership of Richard Tice, it stands for “lower taxes, secure borders, cheaper energy and zero waiting lists”.

Candidates will stand in Aylestone Hill, Belmont Rural, Saxon Gate, Whitecross and Widemarsh wards.

With the deadline for candidate registrations having passed on April 4, only the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are fielding candidates in all 53 wards in the county.

The Greens are putting up 18 candidates, Labour, 12.

Thirty wards have candidates described as “Independent”, six of which having two such candidates.

None are listed either as “Independents for Herefordshire” or as “True Independents”, two current groupings on the council.

However two candidates are listed as standing for “It’s Our County”, which merged in 2021 with the Herefordshire Independents to form the joint-ruling Independents for Herefordshire group.