The reality of having Reform in government is starting to sink in across the country – not least for their own councillors, whose fabled promises of slashing wasteful expenditure have now been thoroughly debunked. Not even the specialist ‘DOGE unit’ has been able to deliver on savings.
Where are the Reform tax rises being considered?
In fact, it was reported last week that Kent County Council would in fact look to RAISE taxes next year. And, as reported by The Times, they won’t be the only Reform-led institution that will consider asking for more money from their constituents in the months ahead.
Local governments in Durham, West Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Staffordshire, Lincolnshire, and Worcestershire are also weighing up an increase to help fund their services – with the latter county reportedly floating a rise as high as 10% to council tax bills.
DOGE fails to find savings in Kent
The Musk-lite version of a governmental cost-cutting programme was first launched in Kent after the local elections in May. Things got off to a calamitous start, however, when two of the five founding members – including Zia Yusuf – quit within the first week.
The remains of their DOGE team have been hamstrung by administrative hold-ups. It’s understood that no detailed work has been carried out by the unit, following disagreements about whether unelected party members should have access to sensitive council information.
Reform councils weighing up council tax cuts
With adult social care taking up a large percentage of the local budget, fantasies about cutting council taxes have faded. These fees, combined with spending on children with special education needs, accounted for about half of the council’s £2.5bn annual expenditure.
Diane Morton, Reform’s cabinet member for adult social care on Kent’s local authority, told Financial Times that services in the county were already “down to the bare bones”. This, despite assurances from party leader Nigel Farage that ‘millions of pounds’ could be redistributed elsewhere.