REFORM UK has named Royds Councillor Stephen Place as their leader in Bradford.
Cllr Place was one of 29 councillors for the party to be voted in at last week’s local elections.
Reform UK become the biggest party in Bradford after the collapse of the Labour vote.
Will he become the next Bradford Council leader?
With the party having the biggest share of councillors in the council chamber, it is highly likely that Cllr Place will become leader of the council – a role that comes with an annual allowance of just over £50,000 a year.
Announcing his candidacy, Cllr Place said he would “work with as many partners and stakeholders as it takes to get this city open for business.”
On duty during the Valley Parade Fire tragedy
Born and raised in Allerton, joined the police cadets at 17 and served at Toller Lane and Tyrls police stations, followed by the mounted branch.
Cllr Place then went on to build a training company, delivering modern apprenticeships in horse care, veterinary nursing, animal care and retail.
He was on duty during the Bradford City fire.
Ran previously as a UKIP candidate
He previously ran as a UKIP candidate in Bradford South in the 2017 General Election and during his campaign called for a review of policing, saying tackling car crime and anti-social behaviour needed “urgent attention.”
Mr Place finished third with 1,758 votes behind the elected Judith Cummins (Labour, 22,364) and Tory Tanya Graham (15,664).
He came second in the Royds ward at last week’s elections, gaining 1,609 votes (17 per cent).
Cllr Place said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been elected as leader of the Reform UK group in Bradford
“We intend to work with as many partners and stakeholders as it takes to get this city open for business and ensure it is safe, clean and prosperous.”
What happened at the local elections in Bradford?
Last week’s election shook Bradford politics to its core, with Labour going from having 46 seats and a majority on the authority to having just 17 seats – fewer than both Reform UK and the Conservatives (18).
But despite the success of Reform UK, the party failed to reach the required 46 seats needed to form a majority.
It means the party could form a coalition with another party to run the council, or form a minority administration – which would require Reform UK to court votes from other parties to pass budgets or progress with any meaningful policy changes.
How it will be run will become clearer next week when the annual meeting of Bradford Council is held.
