Andy Osborn - Councillor for Roman Bank & Peckover | Reform Watch
Profile and accountability tracker for Andy Osborn, Councillor for Roman Bank & Peckover. Reform UK.
Role: Councillor for Roman Bank & Peckover
Party: Reform UK
Recorded incidents (showing 1-3 of 3)
Recorded incident
Category: factual inaccuracy
Andy Osborn, a Reform UK councillor and chairman of the North East Cambridgeshire Reform Party in April 2025, was found guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court of making or publishing a false statement contrary to the Representation of the People Act 1983 after posting on Facebook in April 2025 that Samantha Hoy "worked in the care industry but allegedly was sacked for fraud". District Judge Nina Tempia dismissed Osborn’s defence that his account had been hacked and found him guilty. The conviction requires Osborn to vacate the council seat he won for Roman Bank and Peckover in May 2025, triggering a by-election, and he was ordered to pay £1,800 in total (a £1,000 fine, £400 costs and a £400 surcharge). The court also heard related incidents from the election period, including a dispute at Wisbech marketplace where Osborn said he asked the mayor to "speak clearly" and a postal vote-count confrontation; Samantha Hoy described the social media claim as "an absolute lie and extremely defamatory and damaging" and reported it to the police.
Recorded incident
Category: racism
During the run-up to the May 2025 local elections, a dispute took place at Wisbech marketplace on 11 April 2025 over whether Reform UK campaigners had a licence for a stall. The court heard that police were called and that Andy Osborn, a Reform UK councillor and then-chairman of the North East Cambridgeshire Reform Party, was alleged to have told the mayor of Wisbech, Councillor Sidney Imafidon, to "speak English". Osborn said he only asked Imafidon to "speak clearly" because he has hearing problems. The incident was raised in court alongside other campaign disputes that formed part of proceedings which also resulted in Osborn being found guilty of an unrelated electoral offence.
Councillor removed from committee after 'downright evil' remarks
Category: inappropriate behaviour
It was reported that Andy Osborn, a newly elected Reform UK county councillor, told a Cambridgeshire County Council children and young people committee meeting that some children in care were "not just naughty children, they can be downright evil", and he suggested their behaviour had been learned from parents. Local Reform UK group leader James Sidlow described the comments as "clumsy and regrettable" and said they did not reflect the local group or the national party. The party subsequently removed Osborn from his committee role and Sidlow said he would sit on the panel instead after the matter was dealt with internally. The council reaffirmed its commitment to children in care, and other councillors and officers emphasised that children taken into care may have experienced trauma which can lead to challenging behaviour.