Written by Charles Mabbutt and Alex Sabin

Party conference season got off to an explosive start over the weekend, with Reform hosting its party conference for the first time as a major national political contender.

While Reform has become an integral part of the national debate, having jockeyed themselves into being the de facto Opposition over the last 12 months, much remains to be seen about their policy intentions and housing specifically.  In the absence of tangible policy on key areas affecting the built environment, it is the conversations and fringe events at Conference that provide the most compelling insight into a Party which, so far, is largely untested on planning and development issues.

Charles Mabbutt and Alex Sabin unpack the details of what they saw and heard and areas likely to be impacted by the party over coming months.

Reform on the march

Reform means business. After a pledge from Nigel Farage MP to professionalise the Party, their progress was clear to see at Conference, with a varied mix of fringe events attracting think tanks and professionals and a wide range of party merchandise on display. The Party’s political football shirts also emphasised the role of key political ‘players’ across the party, rather than the traditional image of the Farage one-man band.

With over 12,000 attendees this year and an arena area double the size compared to last year, there was a true sense of energy and enthusiasm among the ranks of grassroots members that dominated the Conference. Whilst the Party is undoubtedly making national political waves, there is an awareness that a general election remains several years off; the Party must maintain momentum by continuing to make gains in other elections.

The Party is acutely aware of the importance of upcoming local and mayoral elections in the coming years, with a clear push to attract talent to the Party as they seek to recruit over 5,000 candidates to contest and win seats nationwide. Areas that will see new unitary authorities and mayors following the forthcoming local government reorganisation present new opportunities and prime targets for Reform. These targets include key areas and local authorities spanning Suffolk, Essex and Hampshire, where Reform will look to make significant gains. They will hope to build on the regional successes of the Party in May’s local elections, where they secured a total of 677 seats, 41% of the total seats available, and gained control of 10 councils including winning two mayoralties.

Next year’s London elections will also see the Party look to make further inroads into local government. While senior Reform figures – including its sole London Assembly Member, Alex Wilson – acknowledged that the Capital remains a challenging environment for the Party compared to much of regional England, there is a clear aspiration to establish Reform’s position as the main challenger to Labour in London – with half an eye already on the next GLA elections in 2028.

Reform is confident of making strong bids for overall control in the Outer London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon and Havering. Moreover, there is an expectation that the Party will pick up votes and seats across London – potentially ‘holding the balance of power’ or swaying key results in boroughs that are expected to be closely contested, such as Barnet and Westminster.

The devil is in the detail… or lack thereof

Polling data discussed at Conference suggests that the Party increasingly appeals to voters beyond its traditional ‘anti-establishment’ voter base. While this has driven Reform to heady heights nationally, balancing the radicalism of its policy agenda – which has also mobilised a pool of traditional non-voters turned off by ‘politics as usual’ – against the need not to frighten off more recent converts with more ‘mainstream’ views will be a key challenge for the future.

Housing and planning were not a significant feature of the Conference agenda but were raised in several fringe events in the context of Reform’s approach to local government and promoting national growth ambitions. 

Zia Yusuf, the Party’s newly announced Head of Policy, reaffirmed support for housebuilding in general terms. However, its position on development remains vague, beyond a general drive for brownfield regeneration and commitment to reducing ‘bureaucracy’ and environmental ‘red tape’ in the planning system. Moreover, he referred to Reform’s immigration policy, specifically its net zero migration target, when responding to a question on the need for new housebuilding. A hardline immigration policy was the clear focus of the Conference and rallying point for members in attendance – and it remains to be seen to what extent the Party will divorce the perceived ‘immigration crisis’ from the housing crisis as it develops its policy platform.

A key challenge will be to reconcile pro-growth national positioning – addressing the growing frustration of younger voters unable to get on to the housing ladder – with local campaigning. Reform is targeting gains in areas of rural and suburban England that are traditionally more resistant to major development, making this a careful balancing act.

What does this all mean?

In the meantime, Reform is already in power in areas across England, with the prospect of control much more likely following next May’s local and devolved government elections. How – and whether – the Party delivers in local government, including in the crucial areas of planning and housebuilding, may be critical to its prospects for wider success.

Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss any of the above and what the rise of Reform could mean for local areas and projects: info@kandaconsulting.co.uk