Reform UK · County Organiser, West Cornwall (Oct 2025) · Ludgvan Parish Councillor
Last updated: ~7 min read
Alison Groves is the former Reform UK County Organiser for West Cornwall — and the dominant voice on the October 2025 Highwayman pub recording, on which she supposed it was Paul Mills who installed Nathan Michell as branch chairman over local objections. At the time of that recording she was Reform UK's County Organiser for West Cornwall.
| Name | Alison Groves |
| Former role | County Organiser (West Cornwall) at the time of the October 2025 recording |
| Status | Parish Councillor (Co-opted, Not Elected) |
| Location | St Ives area, Cornwall |
18 October 2025 · The Highwayman pub, Dobwalls
Groves was the dominant voice on the secretly recorded confrontation between Reform UK officials over the future of the Camborne, Redruth & Hayle branch chairmanship. She is heard objecting that she had never met Nathan Michell, the new branch chair, and supposing it "must have been" Paul Mills — the Reform UK South West Regional Director — who decided to put him in place; Rob Parsonage answers "No". She says the decision was news to her.
“But that was only as, must have been Paul Mills, had decided to put that Nathan in situ.”— Alison Groves on the Highwayman recording, 18 October 2025
“Okay, so I'm really glad that you're recording this because I will ask Paul Mills that 'cos that's news to me.”— Alison Groves on the Highwayman recording, 18 October 2025
The recording is the foundational primary source for Cornwall Political Watch's investigation into how Reform UK's national HQ directs Cornwall operations. Groves's on-tape objection to Michell's appointment, and her supposition that Mills made it, are where the dossier begins.
Listen to the full recording and read the synced transcript on the Reform UK in Cornwall investigation page.
Companies House records two active directorships, both held since the companies were incorporated and both under the name Alison Margaret Groves. They are not the same kind of company: the Hayle one files dormant accounts under an information-services classification, while the West Midlands one carries construction codes and files full accounts. Read directly from Companies House on 29 August 2026.
| Company No. | 07530495 |
| Role | Director since incorporation, 15 February 2011 |
| Registered | 8 East Quay, Hayle, Cornwall |
Renamed three times: incorporated as Thermit Products, then Flash Cleaning (October 2012), then The Tax Firm (October 2014), then NSC Building Solutions Group (September 2024). SIC code 63990 (Other information service activities n.e.c.) — not the construction-sector classification the trading name implies. Files dormant accounts, most recently made up to 28 February 2025; nothing overdue.
| Company No. | 14418497 |
| Role | Director since incorporation, 13 October 2022 (one of two) |
| Registered | West Point, Mucklow Office Park, Halesowen, West Midlands |
A separate company from the Hayle one despite the near-identical name, and the one that looks like a building firm on paper: SIC codes 41201 (construction of commercial buildings) and 43390 (building completion and finishing), with full accounts made up to 31 October 2025. Its registered office is also the registered office of Footfall Lighting Limited (Co. No. 09655769), where Groves is employed as Financial Controller — which is what accounts for a Cornwall director filing from the West Midlands.
Stands as Reform UK candidate for St Ives East, Lelant & Carbis Bay in the Cornwall Council elections. Loses to Liberal Democrat Luke Rogers.
Co-opted (not elected) to Ludgvan Parish Council: absent from its councillor list on 14 May 2025, present on 11 August 2025. Still listed on the 12 August 2026 agenda.
Central voice on the secretly recorded Highwayman pub confrontation in Dobwalls. On tape, supposes it "must have been" Regional Director Paul Mills who decided to install Nathan Michell as CRH branch chair, saying the decision was news to her.
Rob Parsonage resigns as Reform UK's Cornwall Council group leader within days of the recording becoming public. The Cornwall Reform group's collapse begins.
Michell's CRH branch appointment becomes the subject of public member complaints reported by Cornwall Live and The Guardian. The party tells Cornwall Live that only the regional director, Paul Mills, can appoint a chairman to a branch not yet fully constituted.
Recent coverage of the Reform UK Cornwall group — by-elections, defections, leadership changes — that frames the period during which Alison Groves served as Reform UK County Organiser (West).
cornwalllive.com
Reform UK accused of 'doing nothing' at Cornwall Council by other councillors - Cornwall Live
Opposition councillors accuse Cornwall Council's Reform UK group of inactivity after failing to fully form a shadow cabinet eighteen months post-election, which leader Paul Ashton denies.
cornwalllive.com
'Wind your necks in' councillors told over Reform UK resignations - Cornwall Live
Cornwall Council debated repeated reallocations of committee seats after several Reform UK councillors defected to other political groups, prompting a heated exchange between members.
cornwalllive.com
Reform UK councillor defends Facebook posts following complaints - Cornwall Live
Reform UK councillor Steve Trevelyan has defended controversial Facebook posts, including calling police "piggy bank" and using crude insults, after multiple complaints.
cornwalllive.com
By-election demand after Cornwall councillor jumps ship from Reform to Restore Britain - Cornwall Live
A Cornwall councillor's defection from Reform UK to Restore Britain has prompted a rival councillor to demand he resign and trigger a by-election.
cornwalllive.com
Failure to deliver huge Langarth development would be 'public disaster' for Cornwall Council - Cornwall Live
Reform UK's leader warned Cornwall Council that failing to deliver the delayed 4,000-home Langarth garden village would be a public disaster.
cornwalllive.com
Another Reform UK councillor in Cornwall quits with fiery statement - Cornwall Live
Cornwall Council's Reform UK group has shrunk to 20 members after Cllr Bruce Craze defected to Restore Britain, following Cllr Roger Tarrant's earlier departure.
Coverage from cornwalllive.com, devonlive.com, plymouthherald.co.uk. May not be exhaustive.
This investigation draws on publicly available records: Companies House filings, Ludgvan Parish Council minutes, Cornwall Council election results, mainstream media reporting, and the publicly released Highwayman pub recording. No private or restricted databases were accessed.
| Source | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cornwall Live — Reform UK accused of parachuting unelected chairman | November 2025 reporting on the CRH branch appointment that Groves had publicly objected to on the Highwayman recording. |
| The Guardian — When reality bites: the rapid rise and chaotic fall of Reform UK in Cornwall | 16 November 2025 long-read covering the Cornwall collapse. |
| Companies House — NSC Building Solutions Group Ltd (07530495) | Director and renaming history. Registered office at 8 East Quay, Hayle. |
| Companies House — NSC Building Solutions Ltd (14418497) | Director record. Registered at a Halesowen serviced office. |
| Ludgvan Parish Council — agenda, 14 May 2025 | Councillor list before Groves joined: five councillors and seven vacancies, to be filled by co-option. |
| Ludgvan Parish Council — agenda, 11 August 2025 | First agenda listing "A Groves" among the parish councillors. |
| Ludgvan Parish Council — agenda, 12 August 2026 | Most recent agenda checked (9 October 2026); still lists "A Groves" as a councillor. |
| Cornwall Council — election results, May 2025 | St Ives East, Lelant & Carbis Bay ward result showing Liberal Democrat Luke Rogers winning the seat. |
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