Behind the scenes at England's Reform councils: More evidence of surge in union membership in Reform authorities
The country is watching and waiting to see how Reform will run the local authorities it has controlled since the recent local elections while workers inside the councils are taking instant action.
Fresh evidence has emerged of a huge increase in union membership in councils run by Nigel Farage’s part.
The PA news agency revealed last week that GMB membership had soared in Reform-run local authorities since May’s elections. Now Unison has reported a similar rise, with both unions saying workers are “flocking” to sign up.
Christina McAnea, Unison’s general secretary, said: “A party that’s voted consistently against modest measures to improve working conditions and threatened to sack council staff at the earliest opportunity doesn’t give confidence to working people.
“Reform has been keen to shout about its tax and benefits giveaways, but there’s precious little on which cherished public services will be sacrificed to pay for them.”
Across the 10 Reform UK-controlled councils, Unison said it saw an average increase in new members of 167% between the week before the local elections and the one after the polls closed.
There was an increase of 205% between the average weekly number of joiners in the previous weeks of 2025 and the week after the polls closed.
The biggest increase (1,320%) was in Durham where Reform leader Nigel Farage specifically told council staff to start looking for new jobs.
Speaking at Unison’s annual conference in Liverpool, Ms McAnea said: “They pretend they’re just ordinary blokes, but you don’t have to look far beneath the surface to see what’s really on their minds.
“One minute Nigel Farage talks about being the party for working people, then the day after wins in the May council elections, he threatens to sack local government workers.
“That’s the real Nigel Farage. The man whose party always votes against workers’ rights in Parliament, but wants union members to vote for him.
“The man who wants the NHS to be turned into a US-style insurance system. And who, like his role-model Donald Trump, is prepared to say and do anything to win elections.”
Councils where the GMB has seen an increase in membership include Durham, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire and Doncaster.
GMB national officer Rachel Harrison told the PA news agency: “Reform spouts a lot of nonsense about being on the side of workers, but these figures show people aren’t buying it.
“Workers in Reform-led councils are flocking to join unions because they know the first thing Farage and his cronies will do is attack low-paid staff’s terms and conditions.”