'This isn't a debate club': Watch as Calderdale Council leader Reform's Daniel Sutherland tells rivals to 'get a grip' and 'go discuss this somewhere else'

At the first full council meeting since Reform took over the running of the council, three motions were discussed – one from Reform, one from Labour and one from the Greens.

The Reform motion – which the majority of councillors voted in favour of – will see Calderdale Council with draw from the Local Authority of Sanctuary scheme.

Labour’s called for Yorkshire Water to invest more in its infrastructure, reduce leaks and sewage discharges, protect the River Calder and put customers before corporate rewards.

The Green Party’s motion asked the council to condemn Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance as discriminatory against trans people, unworkable, and discouraging neighbourliness and community.

But Councillor Daniel Sutherland – who defected to Reform last year after 15 years as a Labour councillor – dismissed the rival parties motions as “timewasting”.

As this video shows, he said: “We had one of the Green councillors say earlier on on one of the governance and business items about how we were, as in the Reform group, were wasting time talking about issues that didn’t matter.

"That item, excluding the Green councillor’s contribution, took about 10 seconds to get through.

"How much time have we spent tonight talking about issues that Calderdale has no power over?

"I would like to commend my group for for focusing on the business, focusing on what matters.

"This isn’t a debate club. You’re not sat in Parliament. This is a local council.

"Get a grip of yourselves.

"If you are unable to focus on council business and the things that we have control of, don’t be surprised that we don’t want to spend time listening to this.

"We don’t want to waste the people’s resources on your debate club.

"Go discuss this somewhere else.”