Earlier this year, millions of people were deprived of the chance to vote in this year’s local elections, including right here in this constituency and across Essex.

There were claims that this cancellation of democracy was to allow for the reorganisation of local government.

But given that this process will take up to three years to complete and the term for a county councillor is four years, this simply does not add up.

In fact, this was a direct result of the cowardice of the Labour Government and Conservative-led councils, who, of course, wanted to keep the money rolling for at least another couple of years by not losing their seats in their droves to Reform UK.

Given the results of the local elections where Reform won hundreds of council seats and took control of 12 councils, including just across the Thames in Kent, and the fact that since May 1 we have won six out of the ten local by-elections in Essex, the Tory leadership at County Hall in Chelmsford were right to be worried.

Now, to add insult to injury, those councillors who would have been swept away in May were in a meeting on Tuesday discussing awarding themselves a 5.4 per cent pay rise.

Incidentally, the only Reform UK councillor on Essex County Council voted a similar proposal down in 2022 amidst the cost-of-living crisis.

At the time of writing this column, the result of their vote on this proposal was still unclear, but the fact that Essex county councillors were even debating giving themselves a pay rise is a slap in the face for ordinary hard-working people in Essex.

An increase in allowances might seem like a kind leaving gesture to the many incoming Reform UK councillors to come, but let’s be clear, it would be more helpful if that money could be allocated elsewhere so any new Reform UK administration can get on and deliver for the people of Essex when they finally get their chance to vote.

Nigel Farage is the MP for Clacton and leader of Reform UK