From the branch
News & Updates
Campaign news, council updates and what Reform UK is doing for Burnley and Padiham.
Burnley Reform Leader's update: Article 4, HMOs and local government reorganisation
Reform group leader Cllr Mark Poulton on the Members and Supporters Meeting, Full Council, the push for Article 4 protection across the rest of Burnley, and what Local Government Reorganisation means for the town's representation.
Read moreRobotic cats bringing comfort in Lancashire care homes and day centres
Cllr Tom Pickup: robotic pets are helping to improve wellbeing and bring moments of joy for older people using Lancashire's day centres and care homes.
Read moreLancashire publishes its adult social care 'Local Account' for 2025/26
The county council has published its annual Living Better Lives in Lancashire report, with Cllr Tom Pickup among the councillors setting out the year in a short film.
Read moreBurnley Reform Leader's update: standing up for residents
Reform group leader Cllr Mark Poulton on the group's second full Burnley Council meeting: speaking up in the chamber, child exploitation, the Kashmir motion, HMOs, LGR and civic pride.
Read moreGawthorpe Hall's Great Barn reopens in Padiham after £1.35m rescue
One of the North West's finest aisled barns is open again in Padiham for the first time since 2008, after a £1.35m project to save its roof.
Read moreLancashire commits to full cooperation with the grooming gangs inquiry
At Full Council on 16 July 2026, Lancashire councillors voted 67 to 0 to back a Reform motion committing the county to full cooperation with the national grooming gangs inquiry.
Read moreCllr Mark Poulton's speech on the grooming gangs inquiry
Burnley's Cllr Mark Poulton told Full Council to stop sanitising what happened, and to keep victims at the centre until every offender is brought to justice.
Read moreCllr Liam Thomson's speech on the grooming gangs inquiry
Burnley's Cllr Liam Thomson said the council has a moral duty to assist the inquiry: preserve records, cooperate fully, and support any staff asked to give evidence.
Read moreWhy Reform voted against Burnley Council's Kashmir motion
At July's full council, Reform's councillors voted against a motion on Kashmir. Not because the suffering does not matter, but because foreign policy is not a borough council's job.
Read moreCllr Gavin Theaker's speech against Burnley's Kashmir motion
Reform's deputy group leader told the chamber that foreign policy is decided by Parliament, not borough councils, and that Burnley deserves a council that concentrates on Burnley.
Read moreCllr Liam Thomson's speech against Burnley's Kashmir motion
Cllr Liam Thomson told the chamber the council cannot change events overseas and should be focusing on the issues in Burnley that affect Burnley residents.
Read moreCllr Chris Weekes's speech against Burnley's Kashmir motion
Cllr Chris Weekes argued the council has no jurisdiction over the conflict, and suggested members who wanted to write on the issue could do so themselves rather than take up council time.
Read moreCllr Tom Pickup praises care worker taking on the English Channel
A Lancashire day centre support worker is swimming the English Channel for charity, and the county's cabinet member for adult social care has cheered her on.
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Council One year of Reform running Lancashire: the record in the council's own figures
In July 2026 Lancashire County Council's cabinet received the year-end financial figures for Reform's first full year in charge. Here is what they show, set against the Conservative record, and every number comes from the council's own reports.
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Branch Reform UK Burnley: your local team
Reform UK now has sixteen councillors representing Burnley and Padiham across the county and the borough. Here is who they are and what they are working on.
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Council Under Reform, Lancashire's pothole queue has fallen 42 per cent
Outstanding road defects across Lancashire fell from 61,063 in September 2024 to 35,514 a year later. Our Burnley county councillors want that work in every neighbourhood.
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Campaigns Standing up for Burnley's neighbourhoods on HMOs
Nine of Burnley's fifteen wards have Article 4 protection against unchecked conversion to houses in multiple occupation. Six do not. Reform councillors want that fixed.
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Council Burnley's Reform county councillors and their roles at County Hall
From cabinet to scrutiny, here are the roles and committee appointments held by Burnley and Padiham’s four Reform county councillors at Lancashire County Council.
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Council Cllr Tom Pickup appointed Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care
Burnley's Cllr Tom Pickup has joined the Lancashire County Council Cabinet, taking responsibility for Adult Social Care.
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Council Cllr Alan Hosker becomes Deputy Mayor of Burnley
Reform UK's Cllr Alan Hosker was appointed Deputy Mayor of Burnley at the council's annual meeting on 20 May 2026.
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Council Reform UK group on Burnley Council elects its leadership
Following the May 2026 election, the Reform UK group on Burnley Borough Council has chosen its leadership team, with Cllr Mark Poulton as group leader.
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Council Reform UK becomes the largest group on Burnley Council
On 7 May 2026 Reform UK won 11 of the 15 seats contested to become the largest group on Burnley Borough Council, with 12 seats on the 45-seat authority.
Read moreReform moves to pull Lancashire out of refugee resettlement schemes
Lancashire County Council would be the first in the country to withdraw from the Government's refugee resettlement schemes, with Reform arguing the money should go to local residents first.
Read more Council One year of Reform at Lancashire County Council
One year on from taking control of Lancashire County Council, Reform UK has frozen councillors' allowances, set the lowest council tax rise in 12 years, and opened up the council's finances.
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Council Reform delivers Lancashire's lowest council tax rise in 12 years
Reform UK's first Lancashire budget, set on 26 February 2026, raises council tax by 3.8 per cent, the lowest rise in 12 years and well below the 4.99 per cent of the previous two years.
Read moreLancashire drops its non-statutory 2030 net zero target
At Full Council in October 2025, Reform councillors carried a motion to drop the county council's voluntary 2030 net zero target and stop voluntary carbon reporting.
Read moreCllr Tom Pickup at Cabinet: a clear flag policy and a new property strategy
At the October 2025 Cabinet, Burnley's Cllr Tom Pickup spoke on the county's settled flag policy and introduced a new property strategy for Lancashire.
Read more Council Cllr Mark Poulton appointed to chair county scrutiny
At Lancashire County Council's annual meeting on 22 May 2025, Burnley Rural's Cllr Mark Poulton was appointed Chair of the Environment, Economic Growth and Transport Scrutiny Committee and Chair of the Scrutiny Management Board for 2025/26.
Read more Council Cllr Tom Pickup appointed Lead Member for Finance and Resources
Following Reform UK winning control of Lancashire County Council in May 2025, Padiham and Burnley West's Cllr Tom Pickup was given charge of the county's money as Lead Member for Finance and Resources for 2025/26.
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Council Reform UK takes control of Lancashire and wins four Burnley divisions
On 1 May 2025 Reform UK won control of Lancashire County Council for the first time, taking 53 of the 84 divisions, including four covering Burnley and Padiham.
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