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26
Feb
Pannal and Oatlands councillor joins Reform UK
Pannal and Oatlands councillor John Mann has joined Reform UK, saying immigration is “out of control” and his new party has “a clear vision and path for national, economic and social renewal”.
His defection has triggered calls from Harrogate and Knaresborough’s Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon for a by-election for the Oatlands and Pannal seat on North Yorkshire Council.
Cllr Mann, who was a longstanding Conservative councillor before he became an unaligned independent in November, said:
I have joined Reform UK as Britain is broken on a national and local level.
Illegal immigration is out of control, the economy is flatlining, taxation is at a record high, it's difficult to get a doctor's appointment – the list of issues is endless.
The other political parties have created this mess over the last two decades and have no answers.
On the other hand, Reform UK has a clear vision and path for national, economic and social renewal.
I look forward to implementing Reform’s wider vision to North Yorkshire and deliver the change the residents deserve.
Former civil servant Cllr Mann, who was a personnel manager before retiring, said the Tories had “no overarching vision or coherent set of ideas to revive and renew our failing state” when he quit the party last year.
His latest change of allegiance brings the number of Reform councillors on North Yorkshire Council to four of 90.
The controlling Conservatives and Independents group is the largest group with 45 seats.
The next North Yorkshire Council elections are due in May 2027.
Jonathan Swales, the Reform branch chair for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:
This is a serious and considered decision by a long-serving councillor with deep experience across key committees including planning, scrutiny and health. It reflects the fact that the political landscape is changing — and that many elected representatives no longer feel the established parties are providing the clarity or direction their residents expect.
Cllr Mann has a strong record of public service locally. Reform offers a platform that prioritises accountability, local decision-making and practical solutions, and we believe that resonates strongly across North Yorkshire.
'Stand down, call a by-election'
Mr Gordon said Cllr Mann should “immediately resign and a by-election be held.
He said:
This is a straightforward matter of democratic accountability. Cllr Mann has now switched allegiances twice without once asking his constituents whether they support his direction of travel.
The honourable thing to do is clear: stand down, call a by-election, and let the people of Oatlands and Pannal have their say. If Cllr Mann genuinely believes Reform UK’s agenda is what his residents want, he should have the confidence to put that to a vote. We suspect he knows the answer.
Cllr Mark Warr, Lib Dem Harrogate town councillor for Pannal, said:
“The Liberal Democrats are ready to fight a by-election and to offer the residents in Oatlands and Pannal a positive, community-focused alternative - one that puts local people first, not a national party’s media profile.”
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