Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has been accused of betraying election promises to cut council tax after several councils it controls said they planned to increase rates close to the maximum allowed.
They include Kent county council – the party’s flagship local authority and one viewed by it as the “shop window” for what a Reform-led government would look like – which has proposed an increase of 3.99%.
Four other county councils controlled by the party – Derbyshire, North Northamptonshire, West Northamptonshire and Leicestershire – have also all proposed 5% council tax rises, the maximum permitted by law.
Derbyshire county council earlier this week confirmed the rise after predicting a £38m gap in its budget, with overspends in children’s social care and adult social care.
Councillors on the Reform-controlled Lincolnshire county council were told on Tuesday that a 4.99% increase was being considered. A public consultation would also examine alternative options, including a rise of 3.99% – although that increase would create a deficit of £4.1m.
Opposition councillors in Kent accused Reform of betraying voters who had last year received leaflets from the party pledging to freeze or cut council tax.
The draft budget is to be voted on at a full meeting next month. Reform still holds a significant majority in Kent, despite a series of defections and ejections of its own councillors.
Bitter divisions among Reform councillors were laid bare by footage leaked to the Guardian in October, which showed a chaotic internal meeting where members were told to “fucking suck it up” if they did not agree with decisions.
Draft budget details – including the proposed increase – were published late on Thursday night after expectations they would come out earlier in the week.
Linden Kemkaran, the leader of Kent county council, said the proposed draft budget reflected what she described as the “progress” made since Reform took over the council after last year’s local elections.
“When this administration took office, the council was facing a very serious financial situation. KCC was saddled with more than £700m of debt, around £84,000 was being spent every day on interest alone, and pressures on vital services were continuing to grow.
“Since then, we are on track to deliver £100m of savings and income, we have reprofiled almost £40m of future spending, and we have reduced the council’s debt by £67m,” she said.
Kemkaran said details of the draft budget proposed a council tax increase of 3.99%, instead of the 5% figure anticipated when the current administration took office, and had been achieved while protecting frontline services.
However, the opposition Liberal Democrat group on the council accused Reform of financial mismanagement and a “total betrayal” of election promises.
“Despite campaigning on a platform of tax cuts, Reform’s budget will see the average Band D household pay roughly £67.47 more per year,” said the Liberal Democrat leader, Anthony Hook.
“Reform stood for election promising to make savings and lower the burden on taxpayers. Today, that promise has been utterly broken. They are boasting about a nearly 4% increase instead of 5%, a difference of just 33p per week for the average Kent family. It is a poor outcome given the hype and promises made at the election and for the last nine months.”
Alister Brady, a Labour member of the council, said: “Reform will try to deflect and mislead but the facts are clear. During the election they said they would cut council tax but in their first budget they have put council tax up and they will need to do that for every year of their three-year budget because of their overspending. They should be honest with the public.”
There was also criticism from others who had originally been part of Kent’s ruling Reform group.
Bill Barrett, one of a number who have set up as independents, said: “Kemkaran may be able to say she has kept council tax rises as low as possible, but that £10m less coming in from council tax means £10m of savings that have to now be found.
“Alongside the fact we are drawing down on reserves again in this budget, I really do fear for services across Kent once we delve into the details of this draft budget.”
Tony Travers, a visiting professor in the London School of Economics’ department of government, said: “Reform has been enduring a long and sharp learning experience in the last year about the realities of running council budgets that have been squeezed for the past 15 years.”
But he added: “Frankly I am surprised that few, if any, have managed to achieve a figure significantly below 5% because it would have provided Farage with impressive political ammunition given their hopes of making further gains in local elections next year. Given that most of them are coming out with the maximum allowed increase it will be evidence, lest we need it, that there is no efficient ‘Reform way’ of filling a pothole.”
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