Opposition group leader in Walsall vows to fight any ‘stupid Reform policies’
Councillor Aftab Nawaz has spoken out.
An opposition leader has pledged to fight certain policies that could be introduced under Walsall’s new Reform UK leadership.
Councillor Aftab Nawaz of the Walsall Community Independents (WCI) made the remarks after Reform scored a huge majority at Walsall Council last week.
Nigel Farage’s group won 40 seats out of 60, leaving the Conservatives with just 10 seats, WCI with eight, one for Labour and the other independent.
Councillor Nawaz said: “We will act in every way to support our communities and that’s all we can do. As soon as you say communities some people think you’re talking about one little group, but we mean everyone.
“We will be a wall against Reform’s stupid policies if they bring them forward. If they’re constructive, we will support anything we think will benefit residents. From my point of view, we deal with people as they come to us.
“The people of Walsall, particularly from minority groups, are quite fearful at this moment in time. Not because of the individuals who have been elected but because of Reform’s branding and the kind of things that are being said on a national level.
“Walsall has been a cohesive town for many years, it’s a place for everyone to live in and thrive. If that is put at risk we will be the first ones to defend that, be very outspoken, and make it difficult for anyone who tries to break that cohesive Walsall that we have.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Reform’s leader Councillor Elaine Williams said: “Councillor Nawaz has not stated what policies he is referring to.
“The residents of Walsall have put their trust in Reform as we won with a resounding victory and now have 40 councillors. In comparison, the Walsall Independent Group that Councillor Nawaz leads only has eight councillors.
“We believe that says it all and we are here to deliver for the residents of Walsall.”
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.