Teenager to run Reform-led county council with multimillion-pound budget
How a teenager became council leader just weeks after election
- 19-year-old George Finch has been appointed as the leader of Warwickshire County Council, which manages £1.5bn in assets and a £500m budget.
- Finch's appointment follows the resignation of the previous Reform leader, Rob Howard, who cited health challenges.
- Labour MP Preet Gill criticised the decision, stating that the people of Warwickshire "deserve better" and that the role is "not work experience."
- Reform UK councillor Finch secured the leadership after a tie vote with the Liberal Democrat nominee, Jerry Roodhouse, which was broken by the council's chair, Edward Harris.
- The appointment occurs amidst recent turmoil for Reform UK, including several councillor resignations post-local elections and suggestions from a leading pollster that the party's support has "topped out."