Ward by ward: Old Harlow: Can Reform make in-roads into the Tory heartland?
Elections / Tue 5th May 2026 at 01:06pm
THIS is your quintessential safe Conservative ward. In 2024, Joel Charles gained 58% of the vote and that was year in which Labour were popular.
But with the Reform popularity, you do wonder, even with seats like these…..
And in all our considerations, you do wonder, if we have underestimated the popularity of Reform. We will know by Thursday night.
The Conservative candidate is Sue Livings. Sue is one of the Tories most dependable back benchers. She also steps up the plate in her role in the planning committee. That all gives a clue as to what is needed in a team of councillors who are running a council.
It has to be emphasised that it is not your job but in saying that, you have to be committed, believe in what you are doing, be interested and play your part. Sue does all that and more.
The Reform candidate is Eileen McManus. Back in 2014, UKIP got 557 votes. It is not beyond the wit of man to see Reform getting these votes and more.
The Greens have and are having a go at this ward. We have already stressed at how the have become a vita part of political eco system in Harlow. However, we do wonder, while they may well have a good night around the country, they will be stuck in the 200 vote region in Harlow. In many ways, similar to the Harlow Alliance Party.
Our interview with Jennifer Steadman is below.
We think the Conservatives will hold but it may be a lot closer than anticipated.
YH Prediction: Cons Hold
The full list of candidates are below.
Mr George
2026-05-05 14:48:27
Eileen McManus, with her racist posts on social media? No thanks.
anon
2026-05-05 16:03:39
REFORM WANT TO REVERSE WOMANS RIGHTS. REFORM WANT TO TAKE FOOD AND FUNDS AWAY FROM YOUR SCHOOLS AND CHILDREN. THEY ARE NOT THE PEOPLES PARTY. THEY WANT TO CONTROL YOU. ITS LITERALLY ANIMAL FARM BY GEORGE ORWELL, THEY ARE PIGS THAT ASSUME THEYRE BETTER THAN US BECAUSE THEY HAVE MORE. VOTE ANYONE BUT DONT FORM REFORM OR RESTORE BRITAIN!
Mr George
2026-05-05 16:18:11
You missed off end the NHS. Reform want to end the NHS.
David Forman
2026-05-05 20:07:49
If you want a classic example of a Reform Party candidate making a complete plank of themselves, then Mark Hall candidate Mark Gough gives it the full monty. See a Reform clown in action at https://youtu.be/LKDXyGxBeZM?si=z0KPXdOsj5qg1p_8
Henny
2026-05-05 21:39:49
I think Old Harlow will be the only ward that doesn't vote Reform.
Mr George
2026-05-05 22:46:23
Ha, amusing vid Mr Forman, thanks for sharing.
dan
2026-05-06 03:23:07
Eileen has never said anything racist. A religion is not a race. Reverse womens rights? how so? there are already schools going to foodbanks. Reform is the only sensible option, with con / lab being a slightly different shade of far left, reform is the only sensible option. Until 2029, then its restore all the way. None who have posted before me would last 10 seconds defending either of their parties antics over the last 40 years.
Julia
2026-05-06 07:25:08
Dan, I agree religion is not a race and is a matter of individual choice and should be open to stringent scrutiny and criticism. So-called hate speech laws are reintroducing archaic blasphemy laws by stealth and infringing free speech which is very dangerous trend. That said, Sue Livings is a very dedicated representative of Old Harlow and will certainly be getting my vote.
Tom Compton
2026-05-06 07:53:16
Dan, I think you mix up National politics with local Council politics. We need a council who will deliver for Harlow. Regardless of Left or Right, the Local Conservative majority council has fully focussed upon how the town can be improved. I agree that Nationally, Reform maybe a viable option as they look to break the status quo of 3 parties. However, for a local council, surely we must want a proven track record and a forward thinking agenda. Labour are useless for Harlow based on the many years they were in control and their vision less leader who couldn't find a vision in an opticians. Reform locally would be a disaster as they have no pedigree and would slow any developments down to walking speed. The Greens, in my mind are so far left and detached from the real world, would be a bigger disaster than Labour. For me, it's Conservatives locally as they are delivering. Just look; reduced Council Tax, redeveloping large areas of the town and town centre, attracted M&S, more housing, utilizing previous poor areas. It has to be Dan the Man and his team.
Mr George
2026-05-06 08:47:45
dan. Reform want to scrap the Equalities act, the thing that protects women (and others) and entitles them to maternity leave and discrimination against mothers/pregnant women in the work place for a start, not to mention protecting disabled people against discrimination and many others. They also have James Orr, who (and others) are against abortion, wanting to go down the USA route of controlling what women can do with their bodies, regardless if said pregnancy was through rape, incest or a danger to the mum's life. There was even a mention of taxing childless mothers more, or giving women with children a tax break (same thing). Yeah, Reform don't care about women. ALL the information is there for you to find out, I presume though you're not interested?
Mr George
2026-05-06 08:56:56
Julia. What rubbish. Nobody should be subjected to hatred, lies, and bullying because of their religion or beliefs. There too are ways to criticise religions that you don't like without wishing for death, harm and using derogatory language, often based on misinformation, stereotypes and ignorance. Freedom of speech does come with responsibility, it's not a free pass to say whatever you want. We also should hold people to a higher standard when they want to stand for election, surely we deserve people who want to help us, not spend their time trying to divide us instead?
Paul
2026-05-06 09:17:14
I think it is best for Harlow to stick with Dan Swords and the local Conservative candidates who are making a positive difference to Harlow.
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