“Ah, winning was easy, young man. Governing’s harder.” – George Washington, Hamilton

Attending the Reform UK party conference was certainly an experience. The fact that Nigel Farage only returned as leader last June only adds to the impressive nature of a relatively new party being able to hold a conference of this size.

This was the first conference to be held since their incredible success at the May local elections, so there was a real mix of members and councillors in the room. There is a lot that can be written about Reform and how they’ve grown into the political juggernaut they are today, but nobody can claim to be an expert. This is in part because in some cases, they’re either deciding on an agreed line to take, or they simply don’t know yet.

A number of the fringe events and the representatives from Reform provided an opportunity to learn a little more about the direction of travel. Ignoring the obvious focus of Nigel Farage setting his sights on winning the next general election, the real test will be at the various elections taking place next year.

It’s clear that senior members of the party are not completely sold on the idea of local government reorganisation, mainly due to the different levels of power that are in place in each area, so therefore it isn’t a case of one size fits all. There was also a feeling that members don’t like planning decisions being moved away from district to county level as they believe that it disenfranchises residents.

That being said, Reform is fully focussed on making big gains at the Welsh Senedd and Scottish Parliament elections, as well as the Mayoral elections across England. Following various conversations, it sounds that they are quietly confident about winning in Essex, Suffolk, Hampshire and Croydon. There is a long way to go, but it will be worth watching the candidate announcements for these authorities in the coming months.

In response to a question at a panel discussion on the potential planning powers of the new Mayors, it was accepted that a higher-level view is needed to make decisions from a higher viewpoint – with an acceptance that NIMBYism may help to overcome as a result. “Things need to be built in this country.”

Another key observation was the clear co-operation and working that is happening between Reform-run councils and councillors. A big area in the conference hall was dedicated to the regional party branches and encouraging councillors to join the Association of Reform Councillors. WhatsApp groups are abuzz where information is being shared on this subject, with a Reform Councillor Conference currently being planned in the background.

My main takeaway is how the party at all levels is very much a broad church of opinions and views, more so than the established parties. Engaging with a Reform councillor or MP in one area will likely be a completely different experience elsewhere – potentially in the same local authority! Whatever happens at a national level will not affect how influential the Reform cohort will remain at a local level, with their importance likely to grow further next year.