Castle Bromwich councillors Alan Feeney and Chris Whelan now sit as independents. Reform UK has lost four of the 17 Solihull seats it won in May.
Two Castle Bromwich councillors have left the Reform UK group on Solihull Council. Alan Feeney and Chris Whelan are now listed as independents.
The council’s councillors by party register showed both as independents when we read it on Wednesday 14 October. Both were elected for Reform UK on 7 May.
They are the third and fourth councillors to leave the group since the election. Reform UK won 17 seats in May. It now has 13.
Who has left, and where they went
| Councillor | Ward | Elected as | Now listed as |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Hoey | Meriden & Arden | Reform UK | Conservative |
| Eleonora Gough | Elmdon | Reform UK | Independent |
| Alan Feeney | Castle Bromwich | Reform UK | Independent |
| Chris Whelan | Castle Bromwich | Reform UK | Independent |
The ward results are on the council’s election pages for Castle Bromwich, Elmdon and Meriden & Arden. The current parties are from the council’s register.
Mr Feeney topped the Castle Bromwich poll in May with 2,376 votes. Mr Whelan took the ward’s third seat with 2,089. The ward’s other councillor, Jamie Campbell, remains in the Reform UK group, where the register lists him as deputy leader.
Mr Feeney also sits on Birmingham City Council for Ward End, elected on the same day, according to Birmingham’s councillor list.
Neither councillor has published a statement on the council’s website. We have not been able to read either man’s own account first hand, so we do not report their reasons here.
The first to go joined the Conservatives
David Hoey left in July. The Solihull Conservative group announced on 16 July that he had joined it.
In that announcement he said: “I joined Reform UK as a protest. However, once I became part of the group, I encountered behaviour that I do not believe is appropriate for elected representatives.”
He added that he had raised his concerns with the group locally and with Reform UK nationally, “but no action was taken”. He said his concerns related to “a small number of individuals”, not every Reform councillor.
He continues to represent Meriden & Arden, now as a Conservative.
Eleonora Gough, elected for Reform UK in Elmdon in May, is also now listed as an independent on the council’s register.
How the council now looks
Solihull has 51 councillors. The May election returned:
- Conservative: 24
- Reform UK: 17
- Liberal Democrats: 6
- Green Party: 4
The register on 14 October shows:
- Conservative: 25
- Reform UK: 13
- Liberal Democrats: 6
- Green Party: 4
- Independent: 3
The Conservatives still lead the council, with Karen Grinsell as Leader. With 25 of the 51 seats they are one short of a majority on their own. Reform UK remains the largest opposition group, led by Samantha Gethen.
What it means for you
If you live in Castle Bromwich, your three councillors are unchanged. Mr Feeney and Mr Whelan keep their seats and their council email addresses, and can still take up casework. Only their group has changed. There is no by-election: a councillor who leaves a party keeps the seat until the next election.
Their contact details are on their council pages: Alan Feeney and Chris Whelan.
Committee seats are shared out by group size, so the council may need to rebalance them. Mr Feeney’s council page still lists him as chairman of the Stronger Communities and Neighbourhood Services Scrutiny Board and as a Reform UK group spokesperson.
The council’s money is the bigger question in front of all 51 members this winter. Its own budget report has raised the risk of a Section 114 notice for 2027/28.
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