Reform councillor, 19, believes Black History Month 'should be scrapped'

The Reform UK councillor, who faces the vote on Tuesday, was questioned at length on the political challenge to his leadership, the running of the council, and a series of comments and controversies which have drawn criticism from opponents.

Mr Finch argued the attempt to remove him was politically motivated, insisted he would remain a councillor even if he lost the leadership, and claimed opposition parties had no clear plan for running the authority if he was voted out.

He said: "There’s still a council to run, there’s still people to serve and I’ll continue to do that."

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‘Challenge is politically motivated’

Cllr Finch repeatedly claimed the no-confidence motion was being driven by political opposition to Reform rather than concerns about performance.

He said it was “business as usual” in the run-up to the vote, adding: “Yes, there is something on the agenda for the next full council, but we’ll cross that bridge when it comes to it.”

George Finch also suggested he believed other parties were focused on political headlines rather than local services.

“They don’t want Reform having the administration,” he said. “Take us out then. What is your plan?”

Mr Finch said that, if removed as leader, he would remain a Reform councillor rather than resign and trigger a by-election, as he says his residents still need representation.

Postal Votes: 'You’re on holiday? Oopsie daisy, try again next time'

One of the clearest positions set out by George Finch was on postal voting.

Discussing election rules, he argued the postal voting system was being abused and should only be available in strict circumstances, such as for people with disabilities or members of the armed forces serving away from home.

Cllr Finch said: “Postal voting needs to be amended. It should only be there for people if they’ve got genuine disabilities, those that serve in the armed forces in a way, not just because you’re on holiday.”

When challenged on whether that would mean some people missing the chance to vote if they were away for one week when an election was called, Mr Finch replied: “Then you’ve missed it. That’s just the way it goes.” When he was pushed further, he added: “That’s life. You've got a holiday, oopsie daisy, you can try again at the next election or your local elections.”

Cllr Finch argued that it was a preferable outcome to a system he believes is being abused, saying postal votes “can be corrupted”.

Black History Month

George Finch also said he did not believe people should mark Black History Month.

Asked why, he told LBC: “History is history. History should be every day.” Mr Finch added: “We don’t need certain months to identify the good things black people have done in our history. That should be every day. That should be taught in our history lessons, not separate days.”

Cllr Finch argued councils should support everybody rather than, in his words, “a subsection group of people”. He said: “As a council, we shouldn’t do that. We’re here to support everybody, not a subsection group of people.”

‘Flag-Gate’

On the issue of flags, George Finch said only the Union flag, St George’s flag and the Warwickshire county flag should be flown from council buildings.

He told LBC: “Only those three flags should fly from a council building because they represent everybody.”

Asked why flags mattered so much if, as he put it, he did not care about someone’s race or sexuality, Mr Finch said the council should not show preference to any particular group: “It’s a government building,” Cllr Finch said: “We’re not here to show political preference on which pressure group we want to agree with on a certain day of the month.”

‘Boots on the Neck’ - Finch’s approach to civil servants

Mr Finch was also pressed on his previously reported remark about a “boots on the neck type approach” to getting things done. He said the underlying principle remained the same, arguing that elected politicians must be able to direct officers and civil servants and that councils should be “member-led” rather than “officer-led”.

But George Finch also acknowledged the wording may have gone too far. He said: “Maybe boot on neck’s bit far, fair enough. But the main principles stand. You do have to be stern sometimes. You do have to have difficult conversations.”

Warwickshire Police Public Row

Another major story that surrounded George Finch’s time in power was over previous comments he made in relation to a high-profile rape case in Nuneaton. It led to a public row between him and the Chief Constable of the force, as the pair exchanged letters posted online. LBC put it to Mr Finch that remarks made at the time during a press conference could have risked contempt of court or jeopardised proceedings.

Cllr Finch rejected that suggestion. He said: “I spoke to many, many people there and then with journalists for one, ex coppers, ex lawyers, and they said that it would never get there.”

George Finch argued he had acted in the interests of the community and said he believed his intervention had helped avoid unrest. When asked again if comments made before the conclusion of a trial could potentially have created difficulties if jurors had been influenced, Mr Finch said: “I’m not talking about what ifs, I’m talking about what happened. My leadership secured that safety in the town centre.”