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Two more donations to Reform UK are under the spotlight as they came from figures closely involved in a major North East construction project the Reform-led council now helps to oversee.
A firm run by Cllr Paul Mackings, who now leads the council, donated £111,000 to Reform UK on 23 February this year. Mackings appears to have been selected as a Reform candidate in early April.
Mackings’ Reform-donating company, Paul Mackings Consulting Limited (PMC), has advised on planning for the £95 million South Tyneside College relocation since 2021. The project is championed by – and has planning applications overseen by – South Tyneside Council.
The council has been run by Reform UK since May this year. At the time PMC’s involvement began, the council was under Labour control.
But the main building contractor for the project is also named as a cash donor to Reform UK. Electoral Commission records show South Tyneside-based The Castle Building Services Organisation Ltd donated £36,000 to Reform UK on 30 January 2026.
However, in an unusual turn, the construction firm has denied it has ever donated to the party, when contacted by Byline Times.
The relocation project is a partnership between Tyne Coast College and South Tyneside Council, and is also funded by the North East Combined Authority and Department for Education. The council says it is a “key strategic partner” to the College and “continues to work closely with them on the development of the relocation given its significance to the regeneration of South Shields Town Centre.”
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Potential Conflicts
Mackings is listed on his register of interests as PMC’s director, owner and major shareholder. He has not listed any contract between the college and PMC, though the register only required councillors to disclose contracts made directly with the council, rather than its partners or funding-recipients.
The council says PMC’s “contract has ended”, though it did not give a date, and Cllr Mackings did not respond to a request for comment.
However, the revelations mean the leader of the council that co-funds the ongoing £95 million South Tyneside College relocation has a consultancy that has been advising that project since 2021, while the project’s main contractor and now-leader’s own consultancy both donated to the party that would go on to win control of the local authority just a few months later.
Asked about potential conflicts of interest over the now-council leader’s role advising a major building project involving the council, a spokesperson for the authority told Byline Times: “Cllr Mackings did declare an interest at a Cabinet Meeting of South Tyneside Council which took place on 27th May 2026, and he removed himself from the discussions and vote on an item of business which related to the College.
“That was an entirely appropriate step for him to take, given the involvement which PMC Ltd had in the College relocation project.”
Asked about the main contractor on the project, The Castle Building Services Organisation Ltd, and Cllr Mackings each making donations to Reform UK in early 2026, the council spokesperson added: “A company making a donation to a political organisation would not directly come into conflict with Cllr Mackings’ personal or municipal responsibilities as Leader of STC, either generally or with regard to the College relocation. On this occasion, the donation was made prior to Mr Mackings becoming a councillor.”
The council representative said: “There is not and has never been a contract between Cllr Mackings or PMC Limited and South Tyneside Council.”
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Castle Comeback
Byline Times asked contractor Castle if they were aware, at the time of the donation, of Cllr Paul Mackings’ connection both to Reform UK and, through his consultancy, to the college project. The firm’s response was surprising.
A spokesperson said: “We have not made any donations to any political party. We purchased some tables at a reform event that we were interested in attending in February 2026 to listen to reforms [sic] outline plans for political planning and objectives.
“The event was well attended by many local individuals and businesses alike. We have also attended other political party conferences in the past as we see this an opportunity to listen [to] political leaders’ views.”
However, the Electoral Commission record shows that the company gave £36,000 to Reform UK in February, which was not recorded as sponsorship or a commercial transaction.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission told this outlet: “Admission charges for conferences, meetings or other events are excluded from the definition of sponsorship but may be regarded as another type of donation.
“The party is required to calculate the difference between the running cost of an event and the price the ticket is sold for. If this amount is £500 or over from a single source, the difference is treated as a donation.
“The same permissibility and reporting requirements apply to donations received this way as with other donations. Electoral law applies to donations of above £500, and the reporting threshold for when donations need to be declared is £11,180. Donations received from ticket purchases are reported as monetary donations.”
The EC spokesperson added: “We advise parties that they should be transparent with all potential donors that the donation amount and donor information will be checked if above the £500 threshold and will be reported to the Electoral Commission if above the reporting threshold.”
Donation records are provided by parties themselves to the Electoral Commission, suggesting either it was misreported by Reform UK, or Castle’s account of the payment is incomplete.
Section 366 of the Companies Act 2006 required a shareholder resolution in advance for political donations over £5,000, and s.379 requires disclosure in the directors’ report. A company insisting it never donated almost certainly passed no resolution, though the Companies House records which would cover this period are not due yet.
The council was asked whether it has any policy on donations by parties connected to council projects, but did not answer.
Castle Building Services added they were “not aware of Cllr Paul Mackings intentions to run as an elected council member” – or his potentially privileged position over the project – when they gave the cash to Reform.
A spokesperson for the building company said: “We have supported many local council led events such as Mayor’s charity dinners (Labour led), South Tyneside Awards dinners (Labour led) and we’ve been members of the South Tyneside Pledge for many years (Labour led). We were awarded the contract for this project under a Labour led council.”
Reform UK was contacted for comment.
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