Former Plymouth leader takes helm for Reform in Thurrock
Reform UK won a landslide victory in the Essex borough
Last updated 15th May 2026
Former leader of Plymouth City Council Richard Bingley, the man at the centre of the tree felling scandal, has been chosen by Reform UK to lead Thurrock Council after he was elected last week.
Reform UK won a landslide victory in the Essex borough taking 45 of the 49 in last week’s election.
Cllr Bingley, who was elected for the Stifford ward, returned to politics as a Reform candidate in his home county in the south east after resigning from Plymouth City Council in 2023.
He was leader of the former Conservative council in Plymouth for a year but left after issuing the controversial executive order to fell more than 100 trees in the city centre as part of the initial Armada Way revamp.
His political career started in Essex in 1997 and he has been a Conservative, Labour and UKIP councillor since then. Cllr Bingley was also UKIP’s party’s security and terrorism spokesperson.
He was elected as a Conservative councillor in Plymouth in 2021 – and became the council leader a year later.
The tree felling incident in Plymouth was described as a “traumatic episode” in the history of Plymouth City Council and resulted in legal hearings and an independent review which highlighted failings in the council’s public engagement, governance and project management. The cost to the taxpayer was £3.3 million.
Bingley said in a statement this week that there had been “an absolute and sustained failure in political leadership in Thurrock throughout my lifetime.
“My priority is to build a future for Thurrock that delivers sound finances, business investment and jobs so we can rebuild trust in this council.”