SO what on earth is happening at Cornwall Council?

It’s been two weeks since the election when Reform UK won 28 seats, making them the biggest party sitting at Lys Kernow (County Hall). However, there’s still no word on who will form the administration for the next four years and who will sit on the ruling Cabinet.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Reform’s historic win would automatically put them in charge – Reform certainly think they should be – but it doesn’t work like that. There are 87 seats and, basically, 59 of the newly elected councillors, give or take a couple, don’t want Reform in power.

Ideally, there should be a majority of 44 councillors, though an administration can be formed with fewer members.

Councillors are keeping their cards close to their chest and it looks as though this will definitely go to the wire at next Tuesday’s first full council meeting, when a leader will be elected.

Whoever that will be – Reform’s Rob Parsonage? Lib Dem’s Leigh Frost? Independents’ Adam Paynter? – will then announce appointments to the Cabinet and allocation of portfolios.

It’s looking most likely that there will be an alliance between the Lib Dems – who were snapping at Reform’s heels with 26 elected members – and the Independent group, who have 16 councillors. However, from whispers I’m hearing, that’s even causing problems.

One insider has dubbed it a “Mexican stand-off” – apparently, the Liberal Democrats are demanding the majority of the seats on the Cabinet, but the Indies are holding out for a 5:5 split.

There is also chatter across County Hall that one of Cornwall’s leading politicians is demanding that Reform are given the administration … in the hope they’ll fail.

Another said: “I personally believe that’s morally corrupt. Taking a punt that they will fall apart is dangerous as is the assumption that they don’t know what they’re doing, especially when they have got many of the people of Cornwall behind them.”

So far, Reform has not revealed anything about its plans, but there are whispers they may do something radical at Tuesday’s meeting.

It is understood that all of the Reform councillors – alongside, possibly, a couple of Independents – are refusing to sign the council’s new code of conduct until it’s been checked by the party’s legal team. They are concerned that by signing they will be silenced by officers on matters they may want to speak out about, such as Net Zero or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). The new councillors have six months to sign it, so members will still be allowed to sit on committees and take part in council business.

The one thing the Reform group is saying is that immediately following next week’s meeting, its leader Rob Parsonage will deliver a statement to the Press regarding the new administration and Reform UK’s position.

Everything may be up in the air at the moment,  but a definite is that next Tuesday’s meeting (and possibly every meeting for the next four years) is going to be interesting.