Meet the new Coalville area councillors after Reform dominate county elections
Coalville's political landscape - along with most of North West Leicestershire - changed last week when Reform UK took seven of the eight wards in the County Council elections.
It contributed to Reform winning more seats at County Hall - although not enough to win overall control.
However, the party will take over the running of Leicestershire County Council, as both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have dismissed the possibility of forming a coalition.
Most Reform candidates came through in North West Leicestershire despite pre-election publicity which highlighted unfavourable historical social media posts.
Joseph Boam, Paul Harrison and Elliott Allman were singled out for misogynistic and racist messages.
Leicestershire Conservatives also pointed out the posts in the build up to the election, but Boam and Harrison won in their wards, while former leader of the county council, Nick Rushton, lost out to Reform's Michael Squires in the Valley ward.
Coalville Nub News approached the North West Leicestershire branch of Reform on the eve of the election regarding the historical posts, but there was no official comment.
Shortly after the election results, we spoke to some of the new county councillors.
JOSEPH BOAM - WHITWICK
Boam is the leader of Reform UK in North West Leicestershire.
He said: "There was no North West Leicestershire Reform UK branch before November 15. That's when I became branch chairman.
"I used to be a part of the Conservatives, but locally, there were too many things that I didn't agree with them on. I got put into that party because my dad's connection, but I fell out of love with them, I slowly found myself disagreeing the party.
"Come the General Election, Reform came about, and it was the obvious choice for me. It was just common sense. So I reached out and put myself forward to start the branch, and it's all happened from there. At the first meeting, we had 30 people. Second, about 35, and the most recent one, a month ago, about 85 people turned up.
"I'm delighted we won seven of the eight wards in North West Leicestershire. But we knew Coalville North was going to be a tight one.
"I'm very excited because the area I have chosen to stand for is one I really love. I've been doing a lot of research into my ancestors, and I've even written a book about the Boams of Whitwick, who've been in this area for over 174 years.
"This area is a big concern for me. I want it to be in the best hands possible.
"On the doorsteps, I've heard a lot about anti-social behaviour, drugs, people on motorbikes, off-road. I intend to sort it out.
"In the last few months, I got involved in November, and all of a sudden, I'm here. It's been crazy. But across the country, it just reflects the feeling that maybe that Reform is what people want at the moment."
PAUL HARRISON - COALVILLE SOUTH
Harrison is a new name to politics in North West Leicestershire, but won the ward previously occupied by Cllr Keith Merrie.
He said: "Four months ago, I was minding my own business, but I felt things were going south politically. So I just got in contact to be a member of Reform.
"Then I knew they were looking for candidates, and I met with them. They got back in touch around February and asked if I'd stand in Leicester. But I said I lived in Coalville and wanted to be effective where I was. Then I got a phone call a couple of days later saying they wanted me to stand in Coalville South.
"I've never been a politician before, I'm literally an engineer. I've worked since the age of 16. I've been in engineering. I've worked in my own business, my own limited companies. I understand how it works.
"But I've always said it as it is. I'm not religious, but somehow the cosmos seems to be looking after me and my family. I'm not a politician. But I think I'm able to speak to the man on the street - even an Anti Fascist group that I met in Coalville.
"I spoke to one of their guys and it turned out he was an engineer too. So we started talking about projects that we used to work on. We found common ground within a short space of time, because we didn't really have any differences in what we wanted for our world. So once you peel away all this bad stuff you find most people are here to make the place better. We just have different ideas on what that means.
"Breaking the establishment is what I like about this. I like asking questions, and I'm classed as abrasive, but I'm not. I don't think I'm why classes abrasive, because I'm direct.
"Now, I'm hoping for something I can get my teeth into.
"I've been classed as far right, but I'm definitely not racist. I mean, I've employed people of different races and colours in my lifetime than most of these other people that call me a racist."
VIRGE RICHICHI - IBSTOCK AND APPLEBY
Richichi is a former Conservative councillor and has been chairman of North West Leicestershire District Council.
He said: "Basically, people are getting bogged down in the old system. Britain is not moving forward in any way. You know, we seem to be in decline, decline, decline. That's what I've been hearing on the doorstep.
"People have said to me that we've become a third-world country. Why doesn't someone take the stand and move us forward?
"Someone with some guts, some initiative, some patriotism, to take Britain where it used to be and where it should be now, rather than degenerating into whatever we've become.
"So I think we need a loud voice, and I must admit that Reform head office has been absolutely brilliant. They backed us all the way. There's not been a week without them getting in touch with us, telling us how to do this, how to do that.
"And Nigel Farage came and had a drink with us in the Jolly Farmers in Shepshed last week. So if he's prepared to do that - I'd been in the Conservative Party for all of my life before this, but never once have I had any information come from head office.
"So that's, that's the crux of it. We will certainly want to change Leicestershire for the better, and North West Leicestershire undoubtedly.
"We have to put the immigration problem right. But unfortunately, because the Labour government and previous Conservative government did absolutely nothing to address that problem, it's filtered down.
"It's not really me, who's won. This is reform that's won it
"But I did say to Mr. Farage when I met him the other day, for goodness' sake, we must keep our promises. Unfortunately, politicians don't seem to want to do that. This is not good politics. We need to drain the swamp and get onto the level that MPs and councillors should be, and that is to be with the people, support the people, and not put our own interests first."
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