Durham County Council, where Darren Grimes is the deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, is facing a budget shortfall of more than £80 million.
Durham was one of a number of councils that Reform took control of in last year’s local elections, and is one of the party’s flagship councils along with Kent. When they gained control of the council Reform proudly declaring they would cut wasteful spending and improve local government efficiency.
But, just like they have across the country, Nigel Farage’s party have had a harsh wake-up call on just how difficult it is to govern.
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In Durham, the council is predicting that there will be an £83.662 million funding gap over the next four years, warning that major savings will need to be made to balance the books, the Northern Echo reports.
Councillor Grimes, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance, said: “As a council, our top priority is to deliver high-quality services for County Durham communities, while ensuring the best possible value for money for council taxpayers.
“Our transformation programme is helping us to become the modern, confident and financially sustainable council we strive to be.
“It has already identified more than £20 million of savings, while also driving improvements in the way we operate, how we use technology and how we can enhance the way we serve our communities.
“Unfortunately, this alone is not enough to meet the pressures we are facing.”
The major cost increases the council will have to deal with are in social care, home to school transport, energy, and waste management.
Durham council have outlined a medium term financial plan (MTFP) through to 2030/31, but this will only save £21.5m, leaving a financial black hole of over £62m.
So, it looks inevitable that the Reform-controlled council will have to hike council tax, just as they have done in several other parts of the country.
The council will launch a public consultation on potential council tax increases.
Grimes said it is “inevitable that we will have to make some difficult choices in the months ahead.”
This comes in a difficult week for Durham council, after a Sky News investigation revealed chaos and controversy at the council.