So my name is George Finch. I'm the
leader of Warikshire County Council and
the counselor for Bedworth Central.
>> People have said it's refreshing having
someone younger at the helm. What was it
that inspired you into politics?
>> I think just looking at the the
political world that we've got around
us. Um look at young people nowadays.
They can't afford to buy a house, a car,
they can't afford holidays. You know
families are they are being crippled by
this government and the previous
government. Families can't live anymore.
They have to sacrifice things. And this
is the problem. This country is a
complete mess. How can I sit there and
go everything's great. University uh
education's great. Schools are great.
Send provisions great. It's not. And the
only party that seems to be talking
about things wanting uh Britain to do
well is reform. Look how disastrous
Labour's doing. The Conservatives are
finished. This is my point. This is
reforms the future and for people like
me, it ticks the boxes.
>> So at that moment when you realized it's
going to be me.
>> I am delighted to be elected as the
leader of Warshire County Council.
>> How did you feel? Well, when it a lot of
people ask, you know, what is it like
being leader of a council? And for me,
it's it's it's simple. Yes, it is high
stress. It is um high pressure, but I
can handle it. And look what we're doing
at the moment. We've got a full cabinet
of people that are dedicated to the
role. And that's because of my
leadership. Now I was elected with the
biggest mandate uh I was elected with
the biggest majority in Warikshire uh
for reform having 1,100 majority. I was
elected by the people they wanted young
fresh innovative change and then when I
become the deputy leader I was elected
there as the group leader and that's
what they wanted there. And then when I
was elected leader of the group again
it's the same thing fresh innovative
change to push a new administration
forward. That's what the people wanted.
That's what the group wanted.
>> What older people have is more life
experience. That's what they're saying,
isn't it?
>> I' I'd say in life experience in terms
of what, you know, like, oh, have you
run a business? No, but I've I've bought
from a business. I've done everything
that everyone's done. It's not my fault
that I'm 19, you know, and and this is
the point. You speak to the people of
North Warikin and Eaton and Bedworth
where reform comes from. Where I come
from, they they love it that there's
someone fresh and young making a
decision. Someone that will be there in
the future.
>> You say it wasn't about the flag, but
you obviously didn't want that flag to
be flown.
>> It wasn't just about the flag. No. Um,
you know, I do believe that political uh
flags with political symbols um don't
represent the vast majority of
Warikshire. Yes, we have people in uh
the LGBT community. Fine, equal. They're
normal people. And then, but they don't
need a flag. You know, you haven't got a
flag for men's mental health. You
haven't got a flag about children with
send needs. So, why do they get a flag?
It should be a non-political thing. It
should be the Union flag, the St.
George's flag, and the Warikshire flag.
And then if a if there's a royal um
attendance, then we raise the royal
standard. Well, moving on to send which
you mentioned, you have said that you
have a sister who has special
educational needs.
>> Growing up with her, how do you think
that's affected your politics in this
area?
>> Having a sister with needs, um it what I
say to people when I go I go to um a lot
of nurseries with my portfolio um a lot
of centers where they look after
children with send needs. I've been
invited to um uh like a coffee morning
with parents to to speak about how to
deal with things uh deal with children
with s needs and so on. And I say a
simple thing. I understand.
And that's what's that's the difference.
You've had old counselors in the past
that have had no clue what they're on
about. Oh, it's just wasting money. And
this is the point is that I understand I
get the sticking points that families
are facing. It can't just be a sticking
plaster policy. It has to be dealt with
by the root cause.
>> The Sen community say to me two things.
It's always about red tape and the
amount of bureaucracy to
>> get provision for their children and
it's also the number of unnecessary as
they see it tribunals that they have to
go through which they usually win rather
than county councils. How would you
tackle those two things? So the red tape
and bureaucracy is a huge uh issue uh
when it comes to uh applying for EHCPS
and so on and it it's simple advocacy.
Send advocacy is near to none. It's not
got the finances. It's not got the
support. It needs more money. It needs
more advoc advocates to support
families. And then they will be
specialized in knowing how to tackle uh
the bureaucracy and red tape. um and
that will then significantly uh reduce
that. So that's how I would I would look
at doing it. See whether we can provide
more support to advocacies like
Bernardo, Sendas,
um specialized advocates that do
specialize in um EHCPs and supporting
families with children with supporting
children families with send needs
because that's the sticking point.
That's where families are not getting
the right support. Um, when knocking on
doors, it was simple.
You know, you've got a I've got a child
with with autism and I don't know what
to do. And you said, I get it. You know,
I understand what you're coming from,
what you're saying. I get it. So, what I
can promise you is that I will be
looking into trying to find a better
advocacy service. um whether that's uh
already existing ones but we put more
money into it and supporting you that
way.
>> So let's move on to the protest in Nun
Eden this weekend. Did you attend the
protest yourself?
>> No.
>> Did you see the pictures?
>> Uh no. I I I was at home.
>> You didn't follow You didn't follow the
protest on the news?
>> No. I've I was doing emails to be
perfectly honest with you. You know,
weekends I don't stop. Um, I'm running a
council, you know. Um, I'd love to sit
back and and and watch a film, but no,
I've been doing emails all weekend. Um,
but no, I I haven't I haven't really
seen it now.
>> Okay. Well, it was it was it was overall
it was peaceful. You're probably aware
there was one arrest and I think as some
of the counterprotesters left, uh, some
of the protesters shouted things at them
like scum and get them out of here. I
mean, is that acceptable? I think I
think like you you like you stated, it
was overwhelmingly peaceful. Um I think
there are uh bad eggs that that come to
these protests uh say bad things that
aren't appropriate. Um and I'm very
happy that the people listened to my
statements and acted um the way
Warikshire people do with with with uh
kindness. Um, and for those people that
that were saying bad things, I again I
don't know what what exactly they were
saying, but again, that's not the way we
like to act here. The vast majority of
people acted professionally with with
honesty and integrity and and that's my
point is is like you said, it was
overwhelmingly peaceful. So, I'm I'm
very happy that that that's the way it
went.
>> You're not after a quiet life, are you?
I mean, some people might say
>> it's it's not nec some people might say
it's unprofessional to kind of get into
a dispute with your chief executive and
the local police in the first few weeks
of you taking on this role.
>> Um, again, you speak to the people and
hear what they've got to say. Thank you,
George, for standing up for for speaking
what's on everyone's minds. Um, and
that's that's it. Transparency is very
very important nowadays and it's come to
the forefront of my mind is whenever I
make a decision is about transparency.
Um and it's simple questions.
>> Could you just tell me over the next 12
months what are the people worries
you're going to see under your
leadership? They're they're going to
they're going to see stable leadership
uh with a stable administration with a
cabinet that are looking through things
with a fine tooth cone with honesty,
integrity and transparency at every uh
at the forefront of every decision
making full impact assessments which is
very very important just on decision-
making but the policies yeah scrapping
net zero or to the bare bone same with
DEI making sure that you know taxpayers
are getting a good good uh bang for
their buck. When it comes to union reps,
if we if we have to facilitate a union
rep due to statute requirements, then
I'm sorry, but you'll be paying rent if
if you if you work here. That that's one
of my my big things is we can't just
allow people willy-nilly to walk in when
the taxpayers don't even know they're
there. And it's it's things like that.
Um flag policies coming in September. Uh
local government reorganization is a big
one. We've put our recommendations out
in November of what we would like as a
county council. So that's one of my main
things is local government
reorganization which I'm really excited
to see. And then when we win the uh
local elections in 26 at the neon bed
with Bora Council.
>> We're very confident.
>> Oh, I'm very confident because I I was
um one of the main ones that were in
charge of the elections during the
county. So I believe it will just be
replicated on and with our campaign uh
mechanisms the way we do it I'm very
very confident uh the people have spoken
in the county council elections. Um so
I'm very confident that we can do a good
job and once we do there county and
borough we can work a strong plan on
stopping these illegal immigrants being
housed in HMOs um and finally look at
these immigrant uh immigrant hotels
which are dividing communities.
You were thinking of becoming a history
teacher. You're now in politics. Do you
think this is a career now? Can you see
yourself in politics?
>> I loved I loved history. Um I still do.
Um medieval history, TUDA history, uh
the World Wars. I loved it. I really
wanted to be a history teacher. Um
and
I just couldn't sit in a classroom
anymore, sit through college and and
listen to the the dril that was coming
out of the schools.
um they've taken on unfortunately
they've taken on this woke agenda that
that means that they're not teaching the
facts and that's the problem is they're
teaching more of opinion
um than fact when it comes to history
which is such a shame because we've got
such a rich history in Britain and
that's what I'd love them to teach more
of. So I I wanted to change it. So I got
into local politics you know some people
go into youth politics. Youth politics,
great, but you can get into politics at
18 and do a tremendous job. And this is
what we're doing.