It’s hard, isn’t it? All this governing stuff. After sweeping the Local Elections in May, Reform councillors and senior leaders have discovered that you can’t just promise the world and hope for the best – and promises to cut council tax now appear to be dead in the water.
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Have Reform rowed back on council tax promises?
It’s worth noting that none of the elected Reform MPs have outright vowed to cut council taxes in any specific regions. Nigel Farage explained that the strategy would be to find wasted expenditure – through their newly formed DOGE unit – and then look at ‘negotiating better contracts’.
However, this message does not align with promises made by several party councillors. In April, Reform candidate Darren Selkus told constituents in Hertsmere that Reform would ‘freeze and then cut council tax’, vowing to cut waste instead of services.
Similar suggestions were also made by Dan Harrison in May. Reform’s first county council leader directly told voters in Leicestershire that electing him would mean ‘tax cuts on day one’. Well, it all sounds well and good. But that’s not what the big bosses are saying.
Zia Yusuf puts foot down in council tax row
Following Farage’s deflection, Zia Yusuf also drove the point home bluntly. Speaking to Politico, Reform’s Head of DOGE said that notion of council tax coming down ‘will not happen’, largely due to the finances required for social care. A big, big difference from what was promised elsewhere.
“I think anyone who looked at the numbers knows that the idea of council tax coming down is not going to happen, given the pressures in terms of social care. What we can talk about is council tax in Reform councils increasing slower than other councils. I think that’s a sensible target.” | Zia Yusuf
Yusuf’s remarks have not gone down well with right-wing commentators either. Hopefully they’ve kept the receipts for the snake oil they ordered.