Three months since Reform’s landslide victory in Thurrock, Essex, residents in the town of Grays are still coming to terms with what a local council run by Nigel Farage’s party means for them, and becoming increasingly divided over its policies.

In May, Reform won 45 of the 49 seats on the council, taking over from Labour which had held overall control of Thurrock since 2024. The party also gained Suffolk and Essex county councils as it continued to create a sphere of influence in the south east.

Among the administration’s first decisions were to remove Ukrainian solidarity flags from council offices, scrap net-zero pledges and ask central Government to finance immigrants’ accommodation and subsistence.

But the party’s preoccupation with immigration has unsettled some residents in Thurrock, which has more people born outside of the UK calling it home than any other area in Essex, according to the 2021 Census.

And now, although the party still has strong support, divisions are starting to emerge in the area.

Reform critics looking to move out

The area’s multiculturalism is evident as you walk around, with Turkish barbers, African restaurants, and South Asian grocery stores all open for business.

While residents are aware of how diverse the area’s population is, they have polarised views on whether or not this is a good thing, likewise with Reform’s success.

Some Grays residents told The i Paper they see a link between tensions in the area and Reform’s electoral success – with one even looking to move out as a result.

Daisy Glover, 26, a Green voter, said she was “very upset” by Reform’s victory and thinks the Ukrainian flag removal decision was “petty”.

The new council replaced the Ukrainian flag with the Thurrock coat of arms, under a policy to only fly local, regional and national flags outside its buildings.

The mother of a mixed-race daughter is mostly concerned about the ramifications of Reform pushing anti-immigrant sentiment.

“I’m not a big fan at all,” she said. “I’m very much left wing, I suppose, just in general and obviously because of my daughter. I don’t want her to grow up in an area that’s racist.”

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