'No scrutiny, no decisions, no DOGE': Tories slam Reform as 'all talk and no action'
The Conservative opposition group at Nottinghamshire Council has criticised the Reform-led administration for failing to deliver any meaningful scrutiny or decision-making two months into their term of office.
During the first meeting of the overview and scrutiny committee under the new administration on July 3, committee member Coun Stuart Bestwick (Con), who represents Newstead, slammed the lack of progress, describing the session as ‘nothing more than a training exercise’ with no other items on the agenda.
This follows Reform’s controversial decision to cancel all scrutiny meetings in June, citing the need to train new members.
Coun Bestwick said: “Reform cancelled all scrutiny meetings in June for training and now this meeting has also been used solely for that purpose.
"That means this committee hasn’t had a single opportunity to scrutinise the administration’s work since the election – and we won’t again until September.
"That’s six months of inaction.”
“The residents of Nottinghamshire expect us to hold this administration to account.
"We’ve already missed the chance to examine what’s been happening in the first months of this term, and we shouldn’t waste any more time.
"A proper scrutiny meeting must be held before the August recess – it’s essential if we’re serious about doing our job.”
Fellow committee member Coun Bruce Laughton (Con) echoed Coun Bestwick’s concerns, saying scrutiny under the Reform leadership had been ‘effectively shut down’ since May.
He added: “We’ve missed an opportunity to properly scrutinise what this administration has been doing.
"The public won’t be pleased to hear that we’ve had no meaningful scrutiny since the election.
“Holding another meeting before the recess is essential, not just for this committee, but for everyone who lives and works in Nottinghamshire and expects their council to be held to account.”
Coun Sam Smith (Con), Conservative leader, also raised serious concerns about the timeline and transparency of the scrutiny process under Reform’s leadership.
He said: “There are still no agreed scrutiny topics, and they won’t be signed off until September.
"That means meaningful scrutiny of council services will not begin until January – if it happens at all.
"This delay risks poor decision-making and declining public services.
"We’re now in danger of seeing decisions made behind closed doors, with councillors effectively marking their own homework in smoky backroom meetings.”
The Tories are now calling for an urgent additional scrutiny meeting to be scheduled before the summer recess, warning that waiting until September will only delay vital oversight and accountability even further.
Your Chad has contacted Reform for comment.