Reform UK councillors are trying to stir unrest in north Kent, making common cause with far-right street activists ahead of a critical debate tonight at Swale Borough Council.
They have put forward a motion, framed as a response to a so-called “Border Emergency,” which claims migration is overwhelming local public services. This is a lie, but has galvanised a small but vocal faction of activists who have already been involved in violently disrupting a Swale council meeting.
Intimidation
That disruption occurred in December, when a Swale Borough Council meeting in Sittingbourne descended into chaos. Councillors faced abuse, threats, and intimidation from protestors in the public gallery, forcing the meeting’s suspension and resulting in significant damage to council offices.
The demonstration was far from spontaneous; it was heavily promoted on Facebook by a network of local activists who are now mobilising supporters to attend tonight’s meeting.
Significantly, during the December disruption, Reform councillors were seen openly laughing and joking with those who shut the meeting down.
Leading the activist charge are prominent local figures including Harry Hilden in Faversham, Ian Maggs in Sittingbourne and Jodie Scott from Whitstable. Reform’s motion was also publicised by Niquie Trower of the Sheppey Pulse Network Group.
Both Hilden and Scott were present when the December meeting had to be shut down.
These individuals have consistently appeared across social media posts and videos urging residents to “make their voices heard” over the alleged border crisis.
The Reform UK motion rehashes their party’s national talking points about asylum seekers and public spending, despite migration and border policy falling well outside the remit of a district council.
The campaign’s crude nature was underlined by Reform UK’s use of an AI-generated image purportedly showing Faversham Guildhall in their publicity material promoting their motion (top of the page).
The image bore little resemblance to the historic building and has been widely mocked by residents and councillors alike.
Local alarm
The atmosphere of intimidation has escalated with further developments in the area.
Harry Hilden has called on supporters to attend a Faversham Town Council meeting on Monday, 2 February, where councillors will discuss opposition to housebuilding on the Ham marshes.
Hilden’s Facebook page has urged locals to “give [councillors] a piece of your mind,” which, given the violent fallout from the demonstration he called to Swale in December, has caused considerable alarm locally.
Repercussions
The repercussions of the December disorder extended beyond Swale. At a Medway Council meeting on 22 January, councillors passed a motion condemning the earlier chaos.
However, Reform UK councillor Robbie Lammas proposed an amendment to explicitly denounce verbal abuse, a crude ploy to give him speaking time to complain about a Labour councillor who allegedly called him a “fascist.” The amendment was defeated.
Adding fuel to the fire, Jodie Scott aka Missuskent, has actively promoted the Reform UK motion across her social media accounts, alongside bus driver and Reform UK figure Jess Valentine, who has been publicly supported by local activists including the so-called “Flag Crusaders,” a group run by Faversham builder John Stedman.
These groups have also engaged in vicious personal attacks on a Faversham Town Council member, mocking his appearance and falsely accusing him of financial misconduct.
It is now plain that in Kent, and other parts of the country, Reform UK councillors are little interested in actually contributing to improving things for the people who elected them.
Rather, they are weaponising council meetings as stages for national culture-war politics, encouraging disruption and blurring the line between democratic participation and intimidation.
Since publication of this article, Niquie Trower has contacted us on behalf of the Sheppey Pulse Network. They do not believe that Reform UK has been given disproportionate coverage on the Group page and say that material from other political parties was also posted.
However, in light of Searchlight’s article they have reviewed material on the Group page and have deleted comments which might have given the impression that they were endorsing the Reform UK motion or other posts.
They have also published updated moderation guidance setting out that the Group will now share only factual links to council updates without interpretation, to ensure continued compliance with Charity Commission guidance on political neutrality.
