The former deputy leader of Leicestershire County Council "wasn't able to do the job" according to the authority's Reform UK leader. Councillor Dan Harrison broke his silence after a week which has seen Reform accused of presiding over a "shambles" in the wake of Joseph Boam's departure from two key council roles. 

Speaking to the LDRS, Cllr Harrison said removing Whitwick councillor Boam from his deputy leader and lead member for adult social care (ASC) positions had the "overwhelming" backing of his fellow Leicestershire Reform UK members. He also claimed that the 22-year-old was "struggling with the understanding" of the "tough" and "demanding" ASC role. 

Cllr Harrison said he needed "somebody who can support [him] going forward" after a week which has seen days of speculation over why the changes had been made and criticism over the group's handling of the reshuffle from its political opponents. Opposition councillors have branded the week's event a "shambles" and accused Reform UK of "spinning plates of chaos", saying they too were left in the dark over what was actually happening.



Cllr Harrison has now replaced Boam as deputy leader with Kevin Crook (Photo: LDRS)

Now, Cllr Harrison has broken his silence on the matter, telling the LDRS why Cllr Boam was removed from the roles and why it took days for Reform UK to announce his replacements. Under the changes, Kevin Crook, councillor for the ward of Glenfields, Kirby Muxloe and Leicester Forests, will be taking on the deputy leader role and will also head up the new heritage, libraries and adult learning portfolio. Councillor for Stoney Stanton and Croft, Carl Abbott, will be taking over as lead member for adult social care. 

Cllr Harrison said: "We reviewed and talked with the director and found that Joe accepted he wasn't able to do the [ASC] job, not the way it should have been done or whatever the spec was, and I've no idea because I haven't been given a spec. 

"He was struggling with the understanding of the role. It's a tough, demanding role." 

The LDRS asked Cllr Harrison why he had originally selected Cllr Boam for the ASC role and whether, at the time, he considered Coun Boam to be qualified for it. He said: "He wanted it, he wanted it. That was the biggest job, so he said 'I'll do that one'. 

"I think most people could do it if they felt some empathy to it and wanted to get in and get involved." 

The county leader also denied there was any accuracy to speculation that Cllr Boam had been removed as deputy leader because of policy disagreements between the two of them. He added: "It's hard, but I had to do it because I need somebody who can support me as we're going forward. 

"If he's struggling, he's struggling, and you have to accept that. That was the conclusion, that he wasn't up to that job, and so we had to take the action. It went to the group and the group voted on it. It was overwhelming." 

Cllr Harrison told the LDRS he was not planning any other changes within his cabinet, saying he was "100 per cent happy" the remaining members selected in May were "doing well" in their roles. 

He added: "Weeks ago, 24 people came into the building, didn't even understand real politics, they just volunteered. They're good people, but that's how it was, it was an election, and to transform them straight into a cabinet, it is a massive role, and I can tell you now today I would put those people up against any other cabinet […] 

"We're here, we're working, the results are going to speak for themselves." 

Among those hoped-for "results" is a determination to cut council tax, Cllr Harrison continued. This was among the promises made by the leader to the electorate. 

The LDRS asked whether this would be reflected in April's budget. Cllr Harrison said he was "not promising anything". 

He added: "We're looking at how we might be able to go forward with lower taxes, but we've got to deal with a massive amount of problems. I'm a very determined man and I'm working as hard as I can to try and pull this off. 

"This is a major, major event. We've got to find a savings of probably £200 million. This is the Tory debt that they've left us." 

Councils are legally bound to balance their books each year, with Leicestershire County Council expecting their budget gap over the coming years to be around £100 million on their general budget and an additional up to £100 million specifically for special needs costs. Despite this, Cllr Harrison denied that his hope of not just holding council tax at its current rate but actually lowering it was a "pipe-dream". 

Among the criticisms levelled at Reform this week is an alleged lack of communication with opposition groups to keep them informed of the changes. Conservative group leader and leader of the opposition Deborah Taylor claimed Cllr Harrison had promised to update her after Tuesday night's (August 19) group meeting but had not done so. 

The LDRS asked Cllr Harrison why there was a delay in communications over the changes which prompted opposition groups to accuse Reform of "chaos". The leader blamed this on Reform UK's national policies, saying these were now being "reviewed". 

He added: "The whole thing was just elongated through procedures. Obviously, we wanted to involve our own people and talk properly and make sure that we were putting it together [correctly]. 

"I said I would talk to her (Cllr Taylor) and let her know, but as we were moving along the damn thing got elongated through process, which is unacceptable, but it did […] 

"We have to have [at least] a week before we have the vote. We cut it as tight [as we could], but they (the national party) will be reviewing it to what I understand because that just creates more problems and issues." 

The LDRS also spoke to new deputy leader Cllr Crook to ask what he had planned for the role. He said: "Obviously supporting Dan and everything he's got to deal with. 

"There's multiple cabinet members that have got some important projects on the go. I want to give them my full support and backing in what they're doing." 

While Cllr Crook would not be drawn on what the "important projects" entailed, he added: "They are really important, important to Leicestershire. They are desperately needed, urgent." 

The LDRS has approached Cllr Boam for a comment on Cllr Harrison's claims he was "struggling" and "was not able to do the job". We had not received a response at the time of publication.