The most Tory place in Britain where Nigel Farage is hoping to win big on May 1

A town considered the is fearing a challenge from Reform UK in the upcoming elections. As well as grabbing seats on the Tory-run South Holland District Council, party leader Nigel Farage is hoping that a Reform candidate will become the new Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire.

The South Holland District Council currently has no Labour, Liberal Democrat of Green members but it now faces opposition from Reform UK in the May 1 local elections. It currently has three Reform UK councillors in Jane King (Donington Rural), Robert Gibson (Spalding East) and Manzur Hasan (Spalding West). Meanwhile, Reform's Dame is standing for the mayoralty of Greater Lincolnshire, which is a brand new post. Mr Farage previously said that Ms Jenkyns was a slight underdog in the race but that "she has a very good chance" of winning.

Mr Farage said: "Lincolnshire needs a fresh start, a fresh approach. It's been tough for county councils as central government has been cut, but Lincolnshire didn't adapt to a new world. Local councils are broken.

"Lincolnshire is broken, and it needs Reform. We will put it under more professional business management. Policing also needs a fresh start, with so many local people saying they're afraid of crime and street robbery."

On Ms Jenkyns' chances of becoming mayor, the Clacton MP said: "This has been such safe Conservative territory. Six months ago you would have said I was a dreamer - that it's not possible. But we will see. Conservatives have over 50 of the 70 seats on the county council, but it's not a long shot we win that either - maybe a short shot."

She joined the party in November after losing her seat as a Tory MP in July. Talking to the , Ms Jenkyns said she will "stand up for the silent majority" and "always challenge the status quo" if she becomes the first Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire.

The 50-year-old said: "I used to be a Tory councillor myself so I know the area very well. I find that people are disenfranchised with the Labour and Conservative parties and they've now had enough. They feel they haven't got a voice to it's important people turn out to vote.

"There's anger for the two main parties. The people are sick of the situation with illegal migration, energy bills and having net zero rammed down their throats."

A YouGov poll published last week put Ms Jenkyns in front in the race by 15 percentage points. However, in a more recent poll of over a thousand Lincolnshire residents, her gap has been closed by Conservative candidate Rob Waltham.

It shows Ms Jenkyns having 33% of the vote while Mr Waltham has 30%. Meanwhile, Labour's Jason Stockwood is in third with 17% and Independent candidate Marianne Overton has 4%.

Two of the main talking points across Lincolnshire are the proposal of large-scale solar farms and the future of Scunthorpe Steelworks. Ms Jenkyns said she "strongly opposes" Ed Milliband's plans to build solar farms across the county, as well as the National Grid erecting pylons to carry electricity from wind farms in the North Sea.

Tory candidate Mr Waltham also disagrees with the large projects proposed by the energy secretary. He has instead called for solar panels to be placed on roofs and brownfield sites.

Meanwhile, Mr Stockwood acknolwedged there needed to be a "proper debate" over the developments. He also wants to prioritise industrial rooftops and brownfield sites.

Reform UK's deputy leader previously said forms of renewable energy, such as solar farms, are a "massive con". The Boston and Skegness MP instead promised to recover money paid in subsidies to wind and solar companies.

He said: "The British people are being ripped off by the renewables industry." He suggested a "generation tax" and a "special corporation tax" would cover the costs of government funding for renewable energy."

Tice added: "The British people need to know there is a direct link between the cost of all these subsidies to the vested interests in the renewables industry and your bills."

When asked about the Scunthorpe Steelworks, which is crucial to the economy of North Lincolnshire, Ms Jenkyns said she will focus money on training local engineers to ensure its future. Mr Farage previously said that, if she became mayor, Ms Jenkyns would try to use the £24m a year for the mayoralty and combined authority in partnership with the private sector to get more training and apprenticeships.

Ms Jenkyns said: "The mayor can't save it alone but I will push the government. I'm not naturally a proponent of nationalisation but I am in this instance.

"Also, speaking to British people, we need to make sure the industry to make sure people have the right skills. They can't get enough engineers which falls under my remit to make sure there's anough training and teaching."

Meanwhile, Mr Waltham, the son of a steel worker, has called for the government to intervene with the Scunthorpe Steelworks. He believes the land around the site could be developed to bring investment to the area.

Mr Stockwood is in support of the government's initial takeover of British steel, which is owned by Chinese company Jingye. He said the future of the plant depends on the strength of the relationship between the government and the unions.

After Mr Farage's promise to be the " ", Ms Jenkyns also pledged to cut pointless expenditure in Lincolnshire. She said: "If you look at the local councils in Lincolnshire, Nigel pointed out some ways we can make savings. The county council has spent £200,000 per year on foreign interpreters and £50,000 per year on a 'Green Ambassador'." While out on the campaign trail, Mr Farage revealed that a Reform audit of council spending showed millions of pounds are being wasted on pointless projects. These include free driving lessons for asylum seekers, trips to the south of France for civil servants and ergonomic chairs. He vowed to slash to slash wasteful spending in every council his party wins on Thursday. Lincolnshire County Council is reportedly around £460m in debt. Reform UK previously said that councillors elected on Thursday will carry out an audit to cut the wastage, directing money towards local services and support. Inspired by 's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the US, Mr Farage said: "Local councils have big budgets and they waste loads of it. They spend it on diversity agendas, climate change, consultants, contracts with firms that are meant to mend pot holes and don't do the job.

"And they pay themselves vast amounts of money. The bosses all earn way more than the Prime Minister, loads of them are on £100,000 a year, and basically no one comes to work on Mondays or Fridays. The whole thing has to change. We need a British DOGE for every county and every local authority in this country."

Ms Jenkyns has also called to put local people first in Lincolnshire, explaining that there is currently an issue with social housing across the county. She said: "It would be great if we could control the council as we can make a real change there. For example, in Boston, 25% of social housing currently goes to people not even born in Britain. We'll put Lincolnshire people first."

Boston is consdiered the most Tory town in the UK. Its last Labour MP, William Stapleton Royce, died 101 years ago.