AN intended small meeting of Reform UK members from the Wellington and Taunton areas turned into a mini regional conference as more than 200 people turned up.

The local branch had expected about 50 people for talks by former Government Minister Ann Widdecombe and Kent County Council Reform leader Linden Kemkaran.

But 190 members booked in advance from all over the Westcountry, from as far apart as Poole, in Dorset, Stroud, in Gloucestershire, and Plymouth, in Devon, while others turned up on the day and some had to be turned away.

Branch events co-ordinator Louise Peace said it highlighted how Reform in Somerset was going from strength to strength.

Ms Peace said members were proactively monitoring council meetings and determined to call out waste and poor decisions, while supporting good governance.

Ms Kemkaran, dubbed the ‘Queen of Doge’, spoke about how she had exposed serious waste within the Kent authority, warning against weak tendering processes and careless spending which allowed taxpayers’ money to ‘slip through their fingers’, and explaining how she was saving money for the residents of the county.

Ms Widdecombe gave a trademark straight-talking speech, vocalising how communities felt threatened and overwhelmed by the number of migrants suddenly arriving, sparking debate over ID cards.

She said while Reform remained opposed to identity cards, there were comparisons with the introduction of CCTV after the James Bulger case, and she stressed the importance of open debate on security and personal freedoms.

Ms Widdecombe told guests of the great importance of being involved in their own communities, including thinking about becoming a councillor and a Reform scheme which offered training and mentoring to potential new candidates, which local branches would be able to tell them more about.

Ms Peace said: “The ‘conference’ ended with branches leaving energised and determined to grow Reform’s presence across Somerset and the wider Westcountry”.