Reform Bracknell has apologised for using a stock image of a flooded road in Texas as part of a town council by-election campaign.
The advert attacked ‘Labour’s neglect of our roads’ in a post on Facebook and promoted the party’s candidate for the upcoming Bracknell Town Council by-election for Harman’s Water, Justin Bellhouse.
The by-election was called after Labour borough councillor Cherise Welch stood down from the town council.
Other candidates running are Labour’s Chloe McDoughall, Conservative Christopher Turrell and Jason Reardon from the Heritage Party.
The Labour Party have controlled Bracknell Forest Council since 2023, while every member of Bracknell Town Council is Labour.
The image used appears to be a stock image of roads in Texas, USA, which Reform Bracknell’s spokesperson Malcolm Tullet called a ‘simple unintentional misstep’.
The image has appeared in council documents in Texas as well as other publications in multiple countries on matters to do with flooding and global warming.
Reform was also criticised online for campaigning on roads – which is largely under the jurisdiction of the borough council – in a town council by-election.
Mr Tullet, who ran as Reform’s candidate in the 2024 general election, said: “The image used in the post appears to have been sourced from a public library and was selected to represent general road neglect, not as a literal image of Bracknell.
“While that could have been made clearer, it was not intended to mislead. The broader point being made by our candidate is that these are not new concerns.
“Residents have repeatedly raised them with their ward councillors, many of whom hold dual town and borough responsibilities and yet little, if any, tangible progress has been made.”
Roy Bailey, deputy leader of Bracknell Labour, said his administration had invested £5 million more into the borough’s roads over four years.
Cllr Bailey said: “Reform, meanwhile, care so little about our community that they’re busy producing campaign materials about the state of roads in Texas.
“The Reform candidate also does not seem to be aware that roads are the responsibility of Bracknell Forest council, not the town council which he is standing for.”
Mr Tullet said there is often ‘close coordination’ between town and borough councillors on matters including roads, unsafe parking and abandoned vehicles.
The Bracknell town council by-election is being held on Thursday, June 26 between 7am and 10pm.
