Reform UK teenager elected leader of Warwickshire County Council

A Reform UK-led council has a new leader, thought to be the youngest ever in the UK at 19 years old.

Cllr George Finch was formally elected as the leader of Warwickshire County Council on Tuesday, 22 July.

He will now oversee a local authority with £1.5bn of assets and a revenue budget of around £500m.

Cllr Finch, who is from Nuneaton, represents the Bedworth Central ward. He had been selected as interim council leader after Cllr Rob Howard stepped down from his post just 41 days into the job.

In a statement, the outgoing leader cited "health challenges" and said it was a "very difficult decision" but he would continue to work as a county councillor.

The Liberal Democrats nominated their group leader, Jerry Roodhouse, to lead the council. He heads the second-largest group.

One Liberal Democrat councillor expressed frustration, saying residents were “horrified” that the Reform UK council had not presented an agenda and was instead “posturing" about what flag flies over the council offices, rather than addressing the real issues affecting people’s lives.

Reform UK councillors backed Cllr Finch, saying they had only been in charge of the council for two months and were not rushing to announce on “policy, policy, policy.”

One Reform UK councillor said: “We’ve come in from scratch and we’re not going to make decisions on day one. When we are ready, you will get the policies.”

At one point, Cllr Finch struggled to vote for himself after his microphone failed to work.

The Conservatives put forward their leader, Adrian Warwick. One of his councillors criticised Reform UK, saying they had “retired from the cricket match as soon as they were elected.”

He added: “This is not a moment for experimentation. It is one for experienced leadership.”

The Green Party leader nominated himself, acknowledging the complex political maths in the chamber. “This isn’t a game,” he said, also quoting Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings and calling for a unitary caretaker administration with seats for all parties.

After the first round of voting, no one received an overall majority. Cllr Finch led with 23 votes, followed by Cllr Roodhouse with 16 votes.

Cllr Warwick received 9 votes and the Green Party leader, Cllr Chilvers, received 7 votes and was eliminated.

After a second round of voting, both Cllr Finch and Cllr Roodhouse were tied on 23 votes. Cllr Warwick was eliminated.

Cllr Finch won on the vote of the chair, who is also a Reform councillor.

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