Reform seeks to spend up to £190k on three assistants at council

The interim leader of Warwickshire County Council has put forward plans to hire political assistants at a cost of up to £190,000 a year.

An assistant would serve each of the three largest parties on the council – Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.

George Finch, leader of Reform, which is running the authority as a minority administration, said it was necessary because council staff have been “unable to help come up with the imaginative ideas” to resolve key issues.

The Lib Dems, Labour and Green Party oppose the idea. Lib Dem leader Jerry Roodhouse said money should be “spent on front-line services and not on political assistants”.

National…