By Local Democracy Reporter Simon Finlay
Reform UK councillors have lodged official complaints about the leadership style of the top table at Kent County Council (KCC).
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands at least five members have sent grievances to the party’s head office.
The development comes as KCC has become embroiled in controversy after a video of a heated virtual meeting of Reform councillors was leaked at the weekend.
Council leader Cllr Linden Kemkaran was heard swearing and raising her voice, threatening to mute one member asking for clarity about local government reorganisation policy.
In the footage, the Maidstone south east representative tells colleagues: “You are just going to have to f****** suck it up.”
Some of the complaints were made during a time of growing tensions between the leadership and the backbenches.
They were lodged with a regional Reform official, who passed them on to the party’s London HQ to be dealt with.
There were rumours of a “rebellion” over the summer and of a breakaway group of between 12 and 15 members, formed of those concerned about the leadership style and feelings of remoteness from decision-making.
LDRS has spoken to a number of complainants, all elected in May in the Reform UK landslide victory at County Hall, who have disclosed the nature of their concerns but asked for them not to be revealed for fear of being identified.
One said: “This comes down to the way backbenchers feel they have been treated and how they are not listened to. There is a culture and a leadership style among those at the very top that a significant proportion of those backbenchers are not happy with.
“The complaints went to head office to be dealt with. However, no one sees this as a head office problem; it’s a Kent problem. Pure and simple.”
Two deputy chief whips, councillors Sarah Emberson (Maidstone rural east) and Wayne Chapman (Tenterden) have been appointed in recent weeks to assist the chief whip Cllr Maxwell Harrison (Sheppey).
Following the leaking of the video, four councillors – Paul Thomas (Maidstone South), Oliver Bradshaw (Maidstone Central), Maxine Fothergill (Sevenoaks Rural North East) and Bill Barrett (Ashford Rural South) – had the Reform whip removed pending investigation.
But one complainant said they are not convinced the four are the culprits, saying: “There is little, if any, firm evidence to support the accusations against the four councillors.
“If you could think of the people least likely to have leaked the video to the Guardian, they’d be on that list.”
Both Cllr Thomas and Cllr Fothergill denied any involvement in the leak on Monday. Cllr Barrett refused to comment “at this point”. Cllr Bradshaw was approached for comment.
The latest development follows a dramatic few days at County Hall.
After the Guardian published its report on Saturday afternoon, Cllr Kemkaran sent a message to members announcing a “thorough investigation” into the source of the leaks, branding the culprits “cowards” who had committed an act of “treachery”.
On Sunday, it emerged a backbencher was considering gathering the required signatures to spark a vote of no confidence in Cllr Kemkaran, under section 14.43 of the KCC constitution.
By Monday morning, the party had announced the whip had been removed from the four councillors, pending an investigation. Cllr Fothergill left County Hall in tears, issuing a denial as she went, having been removed from the role as a panel chair. Cllr Thomas said he felt sure he would be “exonerated”.
The following morning, it was disclosed that Cllr Kemkaran had sent out a message, on advice from headquarters, asking members to sign a pledge of allegiance to her.
There was more woe when Labour-run Medway Council slammed their KCC counterparts over a decision to double the amount agreed to help fund Visit Kent and Locate in Kent.
Liberal Democrat deputy opposition leader at KCC Richard Streatfeild said: “It looks like an act of increasing desperation because she is being told by Reform HQ to get members to back her or sack her. It looks more and more like it’s now outside the leader’s hands.”
Reform UK swept into County Hall in May having secured 57 of the 81 seats, ending nearly three decades of Conservative dominance.
Some observers remarked at the time how difficult it is to manage such a large number of councillors, particularly since a significant proportion may not have expected to be elected.
Responding to questions about the unhappiness with the KCC leadership, a Reform UK spokesman said: “As standard, we don’t comment on internal complaints.”
oh dear
Never mind
The real question is who leaked the video? Without which there would be no news story at all. Who gains from such a leak? Certainly not a Reform councillor.
I think that @kentpolice should be investigating K.C.C. employees. Particularly the unionised within the I.T. Department.
You want to shoot the messenger?
No crime has been committed.
That’s what I thought.
No Harry, the big question is not who leaked the video, and it is highly likely it was a Reform Councillor.Why? Because if Kemkaran is half as obnoxious as her video appearance, there will be plenty of the 54 who would want her gone, and her Reform HQ cronies with her.
No, the big question is why someone so unsuited to leadership, was allowed to sit in the big chair? Taking Checksfield’s point about the Tories, and how they are so much better than Reform; I really cannot see Roger Gough behave like that. Past Tory leaders have been upper middle class, privately educated types, but to a man they are polite, at least in public, and let’s face it, the Tory party has had to scrape the barrel in the past to make up the numbers, and the net has often included some who would fit right in with Reform, but Roger and his predecessors always treated them with respect in public.What Roger and co might have thought of some his neolithic supporters is quite another thing.
Some of Harry’s pals are blaming the Local Democracy Reporting Service, as being anti Reform stooges of the dreaded woke BBC, which how only shows how many of the extreme right have several screws loose.
The LDRS, is doing its job of reporting, its not their fault that KCC have entered the pantomime season early.
I just wish somone had secretly filmed and leaked Polly Billington’s private “public” meeting in Broadstairs too… which should be in he public domain.
And where did I say Conservative KCC were better than Reform? You’re obviously hallucinating, old boy.
Nope it’s what you said about Rishi Sunak being a good PM.
As for screw loose hallucinations, you really are a tad bonkers about Polly B.
She might be a bit annoying,but no worse than many others.I think you are fixated about her.
You think it’s OK for Polly to ban all filming on a PUBLIC meeting, yet OK to leak a private Reform meeting???
And I said That Rishi could’ve been potentially been good PM… which has nothing whatsoever to do with Tory-run KCC.
Oh George still firing on all cylinders. Good for you! Now I have a simple question. You claim to have been elected to Kent County Council what years did serve on it?
George sorry word missed a word out of my question. Should read You claim to have been elected to Kent County Council what years did YOU serve on it. To clarify what year elected and what year did you stand down?
And what was “George’s” name?
The one suspect he/she/it is just another ranting lefty fantasist.
You raise a good question Peter who is George Nokes? Now George you claim to have been in the past a KCC councillor it would be nice to know when you were elected to KCC and how long you served? So we can all put into context the intimate knowledge you display in some your posts on local government in Kent.
You raise a good question Peter who is George Nokes? Now George you claim to have been in the past a KCC councillor it would be nice to know when you were elected to KCC and how long you served? So we can all put into context the intimate knowledge you display in some your posts on local government in Kent.
It was only a matter of time before Reform imploded. There is no doubt worse to come!
On 13th November we can look forward to the KCC councillor for Cliftonville Division, currently on bail wearing an electronic tag, appearing at Margate Magistrate’s Court accused of threatening to kill his wife, exerting coercive control over a number of years and sending her abusive and obscene images. He is due to be tried at the Crown Court in May 2026. Reform are doing all they can to play this down.
Now we have their turquoise trouser-suited leader at KCC shouting and swearing at her underlings. I’d like to give a pat on the back to the person who passed evidence of this spectacle onto the Guardian newspaper, otherwise we would be in the dark about the shenanigans taking place at County Hall.
Whilst not a Labour supporter, In contrast Polly Billington conducts herself with a greater degree of decorum than the woman so often pictured in a turquoise trouser suit! One thing to be sure of is that we can expect many more hair raising revelations and ridiculous antics from the turquoise clowns before voters see the light and they are booted out of office.