Reform UK candidate Matt Davis says his party is looking to undo “decades of Labour failing” and run the borough in the “best interest” of residents
By Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
Last month, Reform UK launched its local elections campaign with the slogan “Get Starmer Out”, in reference to Labour prime minister Keir Starmer. And the party wants to push Labour out of Waltham Forest too.
Matt Davis is one of Reform’s candidates standing in Chingford Green ward. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Everyone in Waltham Forest must understand what a Labour council looks like because it’s all they’ve ever had,” he said.
“People need to ask themselves: is this how we want to continue? “Money can be found for this if the will exists, and in Waltham Forest it doesn’t,” he said.
He says the party will work to undo “decades of Labour failing to run the borough in the best interest of residents,” pointing to “high council tax” and perceived failures to “address serious issues” such as the Whitefield School abuse scandal, the inquiry into which has been marred by delays.
The party will also work to fix roads and pavements to benefit motorists, cyclists and pedestrians and restore weekly black bin collections – policies both put forward by the Conservatives as well.
“Residents everywhere are complaining about the [bi‑weekly collections] and they’re right to,” he said. “The Conservatives could have prevented this but they didn’t. They don’t seem able to work with the council to get good things for the borough.
“Reform councillors will work with anybody to make things better. It’s a lot more important than [social media posts].”
He added that opposition councillors should oppose policies but “not to the detriment of residents”. Support for Reform is “principally” in the north of the borough, Davis said, based on party data.
“What we do have here, possibly for the first time ever in Waltham Forest, is we have an opportunity for people fed up with the uniparty of Conservative‑Labour to vote elsewhere.”
Reform will also push to restore the free 15‑minute parking slots in the borough, which were controversially scrapped last year.
“You can talk to shopkeepers in Station Road [in Chingford] and they will tell you that since the free parking went, their footfall is lower,” he said.
Davis also attacked the “extremely large salaries” paid to top executives in the council, which he said “needed questioning”. The council’s wage bill has ballooned since 2021, and Davis pointed to the chief executive’s £238,411 salary as an example of what Reform believes is exorbitant spending.
He added that his criticisms were not a “reflection” of the chief executive but the decisions made by the council’s elected cabinet, which Reform hopes to replace.
Read our interviews with each party standing in the election and find out their manifesto by reading our May issue – find out where to pick up a copy here
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
