Dan Harrison steps down as Leicestershire County Council leader

Leicestershire County Council deputy leader Kevin Crook will take charge temporarily after Reform UK’s Dan Harrison announced he was stepping down following leaked comments about staff.

Crook will become acting council leader and chair of cabinet before councillors meet to elect a successor, Leicester Mercury reports. Harrison said he would continue serving on the council.

Harrison informed chief executive Jane Moore of his decision and said he had acted on advice from his chief whip and deputy leader. His departure follows pressure from opposition councillors and tensions within Reform UK, whose councillors were asked on Tuesday 27 October whether they supported his leadership.

Leaked comments and apology

Recordings emerged after a private meeting of the council’s Reform UK group. Harrison was heard saying, “76 solicitors will be made redundant”, before adding: “What I want to look at now is the women.”

He subsequently acknowledged making the remarks and apologised to council staff and officers for the hurt, distress or offence caused by their publication. He said the meeting had been heated and that he had expected privacy and confidentiality.

In his departure statement, Harrison pointed to what he considered achievements since Reform UK took control following the May 2025 elections. These included the lowest council tax precept increase in more than a decade, debt repayments running into millions of pounds and an Efficiency Review intended to identify savings and service improvements.

Opposition calls for answers

Conservative opposition leader Deborah Taylor said concerns about employees’ treatment and the recordings had made Harrison’s position untenable in her party’s view.

She said his resignation should not end scrutiny of those concerns, and called for the council to learn from events, support its officers and restore stability so it could focus on services for Leicestershire residents.

Source: Leicester Mercury