Nigel Farage has said Reform UK would end "a work from home culture" at Hertfordshire County Council if his party wins control of the authority in next month's local elections.

Visiting The Red Lion pub in Nash Mills yesterday (Tuesday, 22 April), Reform UK's leader told a cheering crowd of candidates that a Reform-led county council would tell staff "you either work from the office or you're gone". 

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Farage said: "We know, by every single measure that's been done, on public sector productivity both in Whitehall and at county hall we're performing worse than we were five years ago despite advances in technology.

"The work from home culture ends with us on day one … a completely different, more business-like approach to the way the whole thing is run.

"I haven't got a magic wand, but can a fresh set of eyes on this and a fresh voice in the chamber improve things? I genuinely believe it can."

He suggested the county council had gone "woke", claiming that a portrait of Sir Winston Churchill at County Hall now has "a warning note about colonialism, slavery and racism" – a claim denied by a county council spokesperson. 

Farage said: "There is a complete lack of respect for, as we see it as a party, proper values, and the whole thing needs a proper shake-up."

He has said Reform UK will cut down on "wasteful" council spending, suggesting that in Hertfordshire, the party would look at the millions spent on consultants and money spent on translators. 

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But he refused to discuss the specifics of how Reform UK would deal with one of the biggest issues facing Hertfordshire County Council at the moment—education for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Asked how his party would fix a system that has "widespread and systemic" failings according to Ofsted, and in which only just over half of children have their EHCPs (Education, Health and Care Plans) sorted within the legal limit of 20 weeks, Farage said: "Let's send in the auditors, let's find out who is being contracted, where the money's being spent, why's it being spent in this way. Can we get business-like arrangements to get better bang for our buck?

"The second thing I would say is with all these issues … I think local government has become too much about itself and less about the original purpose of what it's there for."

Reform UK are yet to win an election for a county or borough council seat in Hertfordshire – though three councillors have defected to the party across the two levels of local government – but Farage is confident his party will win some of the 78 seats up for grabs when voters head to the polls on May 1.

He said: "I have a hunch … a lot of seats will be won or lost by 100 votes. You're going to get so many three-way splits, in some cases four, across the county.

"We're energised, we're excited.

"This event wasn't even advertised until Friday or Saturday, and of the 78 [candidates], 55 are here, which shows the energy we've got.

"We're going to run to the line, and some of the political map in Hertfordshire will be a different colour.

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"Are we going to win seats in Hertfordshire? Yes.

"How much? It's anyone's guess."