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Reform UK councillor refuses to rejoin party

Julia ArmstrongLocal Democracy Reporting Service
LDRS A group of seven people standing on a stage. The stage is set in front of a large printed backdrop featuring a city skyline and the word "Sheffield" in large white letters across the top left. In the lower right corner of the backdrop, the text "Sheffield City Council" is visible alongside a city crest or logo. Six people stand in a line across the stage while a seventh person stands at a lectern on the far right. Several members of the group are wearing coloured rosette badges attached to their clothing. Two red rosettes are visible on the people standing on the left side of the stage, while blue and green rosettes can be seen on some of the people standing toward the centre and right.LDRS
Robert Hanson (centre with white stick), at the declaration of the Firth Park ward results at the May 2026 Sheffield City Council elections

A Reform UK councillor is now serving as an independent after he said he would not renew his membership of the party.

Reform has removed the whip from Robert Hanson on its Sheffield City Council group because it emerged he was no longer a member and would not rejoin.

Hanson had acted as the group's spokesperson on the adult health and social care policy committee since winning a seat in the Firth Park ward in May's local elections.

A Reform spokesman said that "despite being given repeated opportunities to join the party by email and telephone, he refused to do so". Hanson has been approached for comment.

A by-election would only be triggered if Hanson chose to resign rather than continue serving as an independent councillor.

He polled 1,442 votes, beating council leader Fran Belbin in the Firth Park ward.

Both were elected because there were two vacant seats after Labour councillor Nikki Belfield resigned before the election.

Reform took 12 seats in Sheffield in May to take their total number to 13, the Local Democracy Service reports.

However, Thursday's announcement means that they are now down to 10 members.

Woodhouse ward councillor Nathaniel Menday was suspended over social media posts and Mick Lee of Shiregreen and Brightside resigned from the party, both shortly after the election.

They now sit as independent councillors.

There have also been rows in the party locally around a decision to merge the two city branches into one. Some members made complaints to the party's national leadership.

There have been reports of acrimonious meetings, with anger from some members apparently directed towards council group leader John Hesketh.

Reform remains the fourth biggest group on the council.

As the council is under no overall control, it is run jointly by the Labour and Green Party groups. Labour has 25 councillors and the Green Party has 20.

The Lib Dems are the second largest group with 22 members. They went into opposition after the elections because they are against building on the green belt.

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