A political dispute has erupted over control of a North East fire authority after Reform UK demanded the resignation of its elected chairman. Liberal Democrat Tom Woodwark has dismissed a call to step down as head of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority (TWFRA), the body that oversees and makes key decisions for the fire service.
Reform's demand and electoral context
In an email seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Sunderland Reform UK councillor Jeff Shaw alleged that Coun Woodwark's election to lead the TWFRA was “irrelevant” and asked him to resign to make way for a Reform replacement. Reform's success at May's local elections in Tyne and Wear, where it won control of numerous councils, means it now has the largest number of councillors on the body.
Coun Woodwark was elected to chair the TWFRA earlier this year, ahead of Coun Shaw, at a meeting where multiple Reform UK members were absent. Minutes of the body's annual general meeting in June show that the Liberal Democrat, who is a councillor in Newcastle, won eight votes to Coun Shaw's three.
Claims of instability and response
In his email, Coun Shaw claimed the chair is in an “inherently unstable position” by relying on the support of a Lib Dem-Labour-Green coalition which “poses reputational risk to a well-respected fire service”. He wrote: “There has been great political change in Tyne and Wear and the fact you were voted as Chair of the TWFRA in May, is now irrelevant, as you lead a minority multi-party coalition. This is inherently an unstable position and not in the best interests of the authority. There is always the danger that the coalition could fracture leaving the authority in a political deadlock. The TWFRA should naturally be led by the majority party to provide stability and accountability.”
Coun Shaw added: “At the May 2026 AGM you stated you hoped that Reform UK would not try to score any cheap political points, when the coalition that elected you had done exactly that. You now lead a minority group, an inherently unstable position, that poses reputational risk to a well-respected Fire Service. This is untenable and I ask that you consider your position with a recommended action of tendering your resignation as chairman.”
Coun Woodwark told the LDRS that he would not be stepping down. He said: “I was disappointed that Mr Shaw feels like that. I was elected at the AGM for the municipal year and I intend to carry that out. We have a policy on the fire authority of leaving politics at the door and it is disappointing that Mr Shaw wants to push this agenda when the authority does not work like that.”
Composition and response
The TWFRA is made up of 16 members put forward by the five Tyne and Wear councils, plus the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner. The current political makeup of the body is listed on its website as: Reform 9, Labour 4, Lib Dems 3, Green 1. However, that is complicated by the fact that one of those Reform members is North Tyneside's Brian Smith – who recently quit the party to sit as an independent.
A Reform UK spokesperson said: “In May, Tyne and Wear voted overwhelmingly in favour of Reform, overturning decades of Labour rule. It is only right that the will of the residents be represented on their public services, and that it be led by a Reform chairman.”
