Reform UK Wins Majority of New Scarborough Town Council Seats

Reform UK has won a majority of seats in Scarborough Town Council’s inaugural election with 11 out of 15 seats.

The outright winner of Scarborough Town Council’s inaugural election is Reform UK, with all the party’s 11 candidates successfully winning seats.

The Labour Party won two seats – in Weaponness & Ramshill and Woodlands wards – alongside two Independent candidates Rich Maw (Weaponness & Ramshill) and Janet Jefferson (Castle Ward).

The 15 new town councillors will represent the five wards of Castle, Falsgrave and Stepney, Northstead, Weaponness and Ramshill, and Woodlands.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Reform UK’s Sarah Mason, elected to the Woodlands Ward, said that she was “a little bit shocked” about winning a seat.

The first-time councillor said she decided to stand 

“because I’ve lived in Scarborough for about 50 years and I’ve watched it go from a thriving holiday town with a massive fishing industry to what it’s become now, run down with dirty streets and it’s so sad to see.

“I want the money to be spent on the foundations like fixing the street lights instead of wasting the money”.

Asked why she chose to run for Reform UK, she said she 

“liked their policies, especially going into the general election and I’ve lost faith in the Conservative Party… and I like Nigel Farage and what he says.”

Independent councillor Rich Maw, who also sits on North Yorkshire Council, and won the most votes in Weaponness and Ramsill Ward, said: 

“The residents have rewarded me and put their faith in me.

“As someone who is known to represent the ward, for me, it’s a priority for residents to understand what the town council’s role is: it’s not a platform for grandstanding or international politics, it’s a parish council and I wish everyone elected the best of luck.”

Thomas Murray, a newly elected Reform town councillor for the Castle Ward, told the LDRS: 

“In Scarborough, we’re looking to reverse the decline and put a bit of pride back in the town, and stop nonsensical spending.”

Asked what he would like to see money spent on, he said: 

“Money spent on stuff that’s going to benefit the people of Scarborough, the West Pier redevelopment for example, and other areas.”

For its first year, Scarborough Town Council’s budget has been set at £384,000, meaning a Band D household is set to pay a charge of £28.88.

Once they are officially sworn in the town councillors will start to decide on priorities for the year ahead.

Money can be spent on providing and maintaining local amenities such as open spaces, allotments, public clocks, the town hall, footpaths, and bins.

Members will also be able to influence local policies such as zoning regulations, public safety measures, and environmental policies.

Despite fielding 15 candidates, the most of any party, the Conservative Party did not win any seats.

Sir Robert Goodwill, the former Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby, also ran for a town council seat.

Commenting before the final results had been announced, he told the LDRS: 

“It’s not a great surprise given that four of the five wards on county-level are Labour wards. “

“It will be interesting to see what Reform UK does on the council because nobody’s quite sure what their policies are at this stage.”

Yasmin Khan, leader of the local Green Party who unsuccessfully ran in the Falsgrave & Stepney Ward, said: 

“It is very disappointing but I’m really proud and pleased about our hard work and we’ll take stock and think about how we go forward.”

Commenting on the overall results, Ms Khan said it was 

“concerning for what it means for our future because Reform UK hasn’t prioritised a lot of important things like the environment or fossil fuels.”

Reform UK Deputy Leader - Richard Tice - says the party has had a strong show of support.

"Well, like so many council elections up and down the country, reform reform have performed amazingly in the town council election in Scarborough. 

We've now taken majority control. I want to thank all of those councillors who stood in the election, the hard work now begins we've gotta dig in and do the best job, and the key thing is apply some common sense."

The full results from Scarborough Town Council’s inaugural election:

The number of candidates standing per party across all the wards was:

    Conservative Party: 15
    Green Party: 14
    Reform UK: 11
    Labour Party: 5
    Independent: 3
    Social Justice Party: 1

The number of candidates elected per party across all the wards on Scarborough Town Council:

    Conservative Party: 0
    Green Party: 0
    Reform UK: 11  
    Labour Party: 2
    Independent: 2
    Social Justice Party: 0

The results ward by ward:

Castle Ward (11 candidates) - Electorate of 5,528 and turnout of 24.42 per cent

   Falsgrave & Stepney Ward (10 candidates)

  Northstead Ward (11 candidates)  Electorate of 5,448 and turnout of 28.56 per cent

Weaponness & Ramshill Ward (8 candidates) Electorate of 6,021 and a turnout of 32.49 per cent

Woodlands Ward (9 candidates) Electorate of 5,220 and a turnout of 25.38 per cent.