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# Figures reveal £350,000 security bill since Reform UK won control of Staffordshire County Council
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/figures-reveal-350000-security-bill-since-reform-uk-won-control-of-staffordshire-county-council/
- Published: 2026-05-16T06:08:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-18T11:56:35.000Z
- Description: More than £350,000 has been spent on security by Staffordshire County Council since the Reform UK group won control of the authority.
- Author: Kerry Ashdown, Local Democracy Reporter
- Tags: Politics, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:11, News

MORE than £350,000 has been spent on security by Staffordshire County Council since the Reform UK group won control of the authority.

A Freedom of Information request revealed that Staffordshire County Council spent more than £350,000 since May 2025, which includes the cost of additional guards following a protest at a meeting in December.

A spokesperson for the authority said:

> “This amount represents the total annual cost of security guard requirements for all council activities and events, not just the additional presence at public council meetings.  
>  
> “This does vary from year to year and in 2025-26 it was actually down on the previous year.  
>  
> “While we welcome public scrutiny, we do have to ensure everyone who attends council activities or meetings feels safe.  
>  
> “We continue to review the arrangements and would like to remind residents that our council meetings can be watched online if they are unable to attend.”

But Cllr Alec Sandiford, a Liberal Democrat representative at Stafford Borough Council, said:

> “This isn’t about safety – it’s about control. It’s about stopping people attending meetings and holding those in power to account.  
>  
> “Public meetings are meant to be open. That’s the foundation of local democracy. What we are seeing instead is taxpayers being forced to fund barriers to scrutiny.  
>  
> “Reform UK came to power promising to cut waste and stand up for taxpayers. Instead they are presiding over hundreds of thousands of pounds of unnecessary spending – spending that appears politically motivated.  
>  
> “It is hypocrisy, plain and simple. Residents deserve to know exactly how this money has been spent, who authorised it and why.  
>  
> “Every pound spent is public money. It should be used to improve people’s lives – not to shield politicians from criticism.”