Reform UK council leader greets protestors as local parties clash over Pride funding and school project

Councillor George Woodward, leader of St Helens Council after Reform UK took control, met demonstrators outside the town hall wearing a Union Jack flag. He said it was “wonderful to engage” with protesters upset about the council’s decision to withdraw funding for Pride events and Refugee Week.

In a separate council meeting in Walsall, Reform UK councillors faced criticism for abandoning their pledge to oppose a £50 million secondary school planned for Reedswood Park. Several cabinet members, including leader Elaine Williams and deputy Nicky Barker, walked out of the debate, leaving the future of the project undecided.