Newly-elected Reform UK Councillor Sarah Wood has made a startling admission during her first full meeting of Kirklees Council in West Yorkshire, confessing that she does not understand what she is doing. The Reform party secured 29 seats in the local elections, just six short of a majority, making them the largest party on the council.
Honest Confession in Council Chamber
In a clip from Wednesday's meeting, Cllr Wood admitted: "I do not understand the constitution. I have not had sufficient time to read that as of yet. I don't understand what standing orders are, what they're made up of, nor do I understand what an amendment is." The confession came as councillors considered electing her as the new leader of the hung council.
The embarrassing moment occurred when a proposal was made for Cllr Wood to face Green councillor Andrew Cooper in a head-to-head vote for the leadership. This required the suspension of standing orders, which are the formal procedural rules governing council debates and votes.
Reform Complaints of Political Games
Reform UK complained that opponents were "playing political games" and taking advantage of the inexperience of new Reform councillors. Cllr Wood told the chamber: "I suggest there is a possibility that we might vote for something that we don't understand at the moment. We don't understand the constitution, we don't understand standing orders. We are at a disadvantage, we do not necessarily know what we are voting for and therefore this we consider not to be a democratic process."
Fellow Reform councillor Rob Butler echoed her concerns, stating: "We are being manoeuvred with a game play when we do not know the rules and I do not think that is right." Despite their protests, the council voted on the proposed head-to-head, but even Reform reportedly voted against it, and the motion was defeated. The meeting was adjourned until May 28 for another attempt to elect a leader.
Criticism from Independent Councillor
Independent councillor Tanisha Bramwell described the situation as "appalling" and confronted Cllr Wood in the chamber. She said: "A lot of their supporters have commented to us and said, 'How can they be expected to know that, they're only two weeks in?' I absolutely agree with that. They deserve breathing space, so that they can learn the ropes as a councillor. They should also acknowledge the fact that if they're not there yet in meeting the requirements of being a basic councillor, surely they are not meeting the requirements to be the leader of our council."
Bramwell added: "Kirklees council has had poor leadership and negligence, and these people were voted out in May of 2026. We cannot afford any more incompetence. We've lost everything: council tax increases, youth opportunities and social housing. It is so important we have the correct people leading us in that council and in charge of those positions, because when it doesn't, it affects us, our families and the people we love, and we can't have it anymore."
