Erosion of standards by Reform at NCC
UPDATE 3/7/26: Following concerns I raised, Norfolk County Council has now removed the most politically contentious paragraph from its RAF Barnham statement. The Monitoring Officer has told me it was included “as an error”. I welcome the correction, but serious questions remain about how such wording was authorised on an official council channel during a pre-election period.
Norfolk County Council has today used its official website and Facebook page to publish a statement opposing a plan being considered by Government for RAF Barnham (in Suffolk).
To be clear: that statement does not speak for me, and I do not believe all county councillors were consulted before NCC’s corporate voice was used in this way.
If there are genuine implications for Norfolk services or residents, the council is entitled to ask questions, seek evidence and make factual representations to Government. But official council channels must be politically neutral, balanced and careful; especially during the current pre-election period for the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner by-election.
I have therefore written to the Monitoring Officer asking for an urgent review of who authorised this statement, whether advice was sought before publication, and whether it complies with the rules on local authority publicity.
This is not about shutting down debate. It is about ensuring public resources are not used to promote the political position of the ruling administration