Letter to Editor: Why a Reform voter is backing Dan Swords
Your Say / Tue 31st Mar 2026 at 01:10pm
Dear Editor,
I AM a strong supporter of Reform UK nationally, but in this council election I will be voting for Dan Swords to finish the job in Harlow.
This is a council election, not a national election and for the first time in decades, we have a local politician who is not just delivering what he promises, but actually rebuilding Harlow.
The maths is clear that even if Reform won every seat, they would not be running the Council but instead the Council would have no leadership.
But more to the point, why would we want that? Why would we want people who are frankly very inexperienced, wouldn’t be able to run the projects currently underway and whose leader doesn’t even live in Harlow?
Why would we not want to stick with the people who are doing everything the town wants to see? The General Election is totally different. In that, I will vote Reform. But in this Council election, I’m backing Dan Swords to finish what he’s doing and I think everyone minded to support Reform should do the same. This is a Council election about Harlow.
And that is what I will be voting for. I’ve moaned for years about nothing being done in Harlow so why would I now want people who don’t know what they’re doing to mess it all up?
Regards
Name and address withheld
Donny
2026-03-31 13:31:22
Agreed. He has good momentum. We ask for common sense, it's time practice what we preach.
Graham
2026-03-31 13:41:51
Labour in Harlow offer nothing and could not even challenge last month's budget. They have no plans and no ideas. They did nothing for decades as the town declined. They seem only interested in going on demos which have nothing to do with Harlow. Reform , whilst having my support nationally also offer nothing locally. I received a leaflet that was more than disappointing. It focused solely on national issues over which Harlow Council has no control or influence. They too offer nothing for our town. Their sole councillor has been silent throughout his time. Like Labour he supported the Conservatives budget. Their candidates have little or no experience as to how a council works and worst of all, their local leader doesn't even live in Harlow and is not eligible to be a candidate. That is absurd, how can he 'lead' from the outside. It is not only ridiculous, but highly dangerous and undemocratic having an unelected outsider pulling the strings of elected councillors. Yes, I will support Reform nationally, but locally neither Labour nor Reform is a serious option. We cannot risk disrupting or stopping the progress made by Dan Swords administration. On May 7, I urge anyone who cares for Harlow to vote for Dan Swords led local Conservatives.
Boris
2026-03-31 14:11:56
So inexperience no good for Harlow but ok nationally...oh wait, Refirm do have experience, they have turncoats like Jenrik who were part of the failed tory govt. Voting for Dan makes sense but I will not decide, as a floating voter, until it is held before I choose who to vote for.
Chris
2026-03-31 14:34:05
Dan Swords has shown that he sticks to his word and does what he says he will do.He obviously cares about Harlow and puts his plans into action.If he looses at the next election it will all have been for nothing.Think local at the local election not national. Vote Conservative for Harlow .
Shaz
2026-03-31 15:19:26
Erm....sure. An anonymous Reform voter...an anonymous source....this could be anybody, even a Conservative party supporter. I don't disagree with their decision but I do see this as propaganda.
Carolyn
2026-03-31 17:14:22
This election is about local matters only and who is best to administer our town. There is just one viable option, Dan Swords and his team. The others are not qualified or capable. In the case of Reform having non-resident leader, they are a joke.
Maureen
2026-03-31 18:06:02
Has anyone seen the calibre of the local Reform candidates, not mention their absent leader...?? They are not Nigel Farage or Zia Yusuf for sure. A motley crew with no experience or plans for Harlow just riding on the national bandwagon. Let's stick with safe hands and support Dan Swords and his team who have a proven track record. Locally, Reform and Labour are a wasted vote.
Eddie
2026-03-31 18:47:05
Labour are useless, just look at Harlow MP. And i am sorry but Reform are racist.
David
2026-03-31 18:51:16
I'm a reform voter through and through but Dan swords has really started to turn this town around, hopefully local elections Labour will be out!
Grace
2026-03-31 19:49:26
How can anyone claim Reform is racist when they have leading figures like Zia Yusuf and Suella Braverman and others. This rubbish. However, this election is not about any of such nonsense. It is about who is best placed to run Harlow Council. The answer is self-evident. Vote for those that deliver. That is certainly not Labour and neither is it untested Reform with a local leader who is missing in action. We have to support Dan Swords team if we want the job done.
Andy
2026-03-31 20:12:41
It's so fortunate we have a labour government who are able to fund Harlow redevelopment after years of Tory austerity.
Carolyn
2026-03-31 20:22:43
Andy you are so wrong. If you actually bothered to read, nearly all the grants were provided by the previous Tory government. Labour couldn't even spell 'regeneration'. Locally, Labour is as shambolic is it is nationally.
Mark Gough
2026-04-01 01:30:02
As the Campaign manager for Reform UK Harlow this is absolutely untrue. We have in our candidates 3 experienced Councillors, a further 2 experienced candidates and the majority of our candidates live in the ward they are hoping to represent. Do not forget the Tories and Labour denied you a County Council vote last year, and if it wasn't for Reform UK taking them to court Dan Swords would have denied you and 4.5m people in another 29 Councils a vote. A decision that cost taxpayers £100k, and Dan's share is £3.3k! This election is not about Dan Swords - he's not on the ballot. But six of his hangers on are! Why was the report on his plans not ready for Cabinet or Full Council last week? What is he hiding? How about you put 11 Reform Councillors in the Chamber to find out? As for our Leader living outside Harlow, this too is rubbish. Our Constituency Branch Chairman does, as the Parliamentary Constituency includes a number of villages from other Districts like Roydon, Sheering, Nazeing, Hatfield Heath and the Hallingburies. The ex-Tory MP used to live in Roydon, I believe. So since all 11 Reform District candidates live in Harlow, I guarantee our Leader will too!
Mike
2026-04-01 02:46:38
Mr Mark Gough, please try to answer this honestly. Does your local Reform leader live within the Harlow District and will he be a candidate for the local election? Simple question and the answer is either Yes or No. The fact that former MPs lived within the constituency but not in the District is irrelevant. Even you, might appreciate the distinction.....Does your local leader live within the District? Secondly, will all your candidates pass the DBS checks, including you yourself? I think the phrase is ' people in glass houses' or along those lines. I never rush to judgement, but certain rumours are rife that might suggest some who are posing as paragons of virtue might not have entirely unblemished characters and histories. I will say nothing further at this stage. However, Reform UK in Harlow might want to check their cupboards for any skeletons. Who knows?
David Forman
2026-04-01 10:09:59
Mike, I believe you are referring to Mr Gough's woes with council supplied laptop and its frozen screen? Mr Gough's poor IT skills should not be an issue in this election, but his divisive views and appalling performances at past hustings should be!
Val
2026-04-01 12:56:58
Mark Gough We voted in one of your councillors. Paul Jago. And he has been invisible since 2025. No sign of him. Does not respond to emails, calls or attend meetings. We made a huge mistake voting for Paul. We wont be voting him in again.
Jon
2026-04-01 15:51:47
Reform's leaflets only talk about national issues because they have no plans for Harlow. Their councillor has done nothing since being elected and it is unbelievable that they have a leader who doesn't even live in Harlow who has the audacity to criticise Dan Swords, the best leader we have had for decades. Reform in Harlow offer nothing, they are no different to Labour in terms of incompetence.
Mike
2026-04-01 16:16:09
David Forman, from what I heard regarding Mr Gough, it might be a bit more serious than thick thumbs and a 'frozen screen'. Let's wait and see if he is a Reform candidate and what the DBS scrutiny reveals. Could be interesting.
Scott H
2026-04-01 17:03:46
Val - your comments are patently to untrue. Paul has held no monthly surgeries, attend almost every meeting, fought for and won for those whose garages faced demolition and has put his Mark Hall Labour stable-mates to shame. Please research before commenting.
Councillor Paul Jago
2026-04-01 17:04:42
Val Paul Jago here. May I challenge you factually. I respond to ALL emails. I have a good attendance record at all meetings I am invited to attend- I missed only one. I run a surgery for my residents to drop in twice a month. I have successfully resolved many issues for residents in the past year. I suggest that if you have a need to know more please email me or pop into my surgery, details of which are on the Council website.
Scott H
2026-04-01 17:05:54
Correction to above - forgive the typo - has held bi-monthly surgeries. A matter of record.
Roz
2026-04-01 18:29:24
Focusing on the main issues, what is Reform proposing for Harlow that is different and better than Dan Swords Conservatives? I can't see anything new that is of any consequence. The leaflet I received from Reform doesn't say anything about Harlow.Read it and binned it.
Phil
2026-04-01 21:00:39
Wow, there are a lot of Tories running scared in the comments here. Some out-and-out lies to try and smear Paul Jago, and other silliness about reasons for sticking with the Conservatives. People vote on what affects them. Just because we have a couple of new benches in the town centre, does not justify the absolute chaos that the working community has to deal with when trying to go about their daily business. It's almost impossible to move around town without sitting in traffic for ridiculous amounts of time. The changes that Swords is making help who? Certainly not the majority! M&S have conned the tories into getting what they wanted, where they wanted, even though its going to cause permanent chaos on Edinburgh Way. There's been no effort from the Tory led town council to persuade the Tory led county council to fix the appalling roads around the town. All the work around town are Mr Swords vanity projects, not the things we actually need. How about clearing all the footpaths and cleaning the edges to make them usable? How about getting the county council to drive round town and understand just how bad the road surfaces, and the lane markings are? How about persuading the county council to put traffic lights on the two roundabouts either side of Mark Hall school so that the thousands of people living in Newhall and Church Langley can get out of their estates? The A414 is ridiculous from both directions. Shall I go, on or have I bored all you tories enough yet?
Paul
2026-04-02 07:00:05
Phil, is it alias Scott or alias Mark Gough? Bottom line is Reform has a leader who is ineligible to stand because he doesn't live in Harlow. From your post, you are clueless as to the work involved in regeneration and I say this as a Process Engineer and experienced Project Manager. I doubt if anyone in Reform has ever engaged in a project of this magnitude. Both you and Labour need to be kept as far away as possible. The alternative is too risky.
Nicholas Taylor
2026-04-04 10:36:04
It always amazes me how short a memory many people have and the lack of knowledge about how things work in Local Government. Firstly, lets ping back five years or so, Cllr Swords was elected as a Councillor despite having no experience of working in local government or indeed anything that could be related to it. He very quickly became a Portfoilio Holder and in time Leader of the Council. It is the team of officers, not Councillors, who are qualified to carry out contracts (of any sort and size), councillors are expect to set policy, often with their political party direction. What Cllr Swords has done is to use smoke and mirrors to promote his Party, the fact is, most of the regeneration in the town will carry on whoever is in control of the council in 2026/2027, contracts have been let and in many cases work has started. What we should all be concerned about is the future development of Harlow which will be in the hands of Councillors living as far away as Saffron Walden and Chigwell. Of the Councillors in the West Essex Unitary Authority, less than 20 will represent those of us living in Harlow, we should all be concerned about what priority Harlow will be given in respect of regeneration in the future.
Paul
2026-04-05 03:28:58
Stick with Dan the Man to fix Harlow
Nicholas Taylor
2026-04-05 09:32:37
Paul, thanks but no thanks. Closing Post office car park and building flats on the site with no affordable housing or parking spaces, turning the Town Centre into a high rise housing estate, taking hundreds of housing applicants off the councils waiting list, spending £7 million on repaving Broadwalk and Market Square, substantially increasing the councils (our) debt, selling off council assets, failing to consult residents about local government reorganisation, failing to take steps to create a Town Council, ignoring advice about the removal of trees (Sherards House site). Perhaps most of all, trying to disassociate himself from national politics and his Party at national level under the banner of being " Local Conservatives".
Mr George
2026-04-05 17:57:30
I remember last elections that Dan the Man came up with all these things he was going to do.... then went very very quiet after. It was instant, not a sausage was achieved. I do have a distrust on what politicians say running up to elections because they often promise the earth and deliver little.
Graham
2026-04-06 17:49:06
Mr George, just take a look around and it is clear that Dan Swords is delivering. Delivering more than any Council leader in the past 50 years! He is the best thing that has happened to Harlow in ages.
Mr George
2026-04-06 22:21:47
Graham, this is Dan the Man who promised bulldozers were ready to go next day.. and didn't. Yes, while he's doing ok (though I am worried about debt), all politicians no matter which political party tend to over-egg promises leading up to elections.
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