I noted this in the FT this morning:
Kent's local authority is likely to raise council tax rates next year as Reform UK has struggled to find big savings under an Elon Musk-inspired cost-cutting drive.
They added:
Kent was one of 10 English councils that Nigel Farage's rightwing populist party seized in a swath of victories at local elections in May this year. He vowed to save “a lot of money” by abolishing “wasteful” spending.
But Diane Morton, Reform's cabinet member for adult social care on Kent county council, told the Financial Times that services in Kent were already “down to the bare bones”.
This is hardly surprising. Like all UK councils, Kent has suffered massive cuts over the last decade or so, and now only barely provides the statutory minimum level of service required of it, almost entirely dedicated to adult and child social care and special educational needs plus other essential, and legally, as well as socially, required services, which in comparison wth those social services do in any case come at low cost and have no room for almost any further cuts.
Reform, in other words, made claims about cutting costs that were wholly unjustified.
Reform claimed that its councils would show just how successful they could be at transforming government. It seems that they already are: what their councils are showing is that there is no further room for cuts, and everything that Reform has been saying is total nonsense.
Shall we move on in that case? Being racist is not a basis for delivering useful policy at any level of government, and since that is all the Reform has to offer, this outcome was always inevitable, but it's good to see it working out as expected in practice. Maybe people will take note.
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I was on holiday in Kent recently.
A lot of the roads were best described as abysmal leaving me concerned about damaging my car.
I suggest that there’s a lot of money that needs spending in that County and Reform are having to come to terms with that
One of the best tools we will have to fight Reform in 2029 will be their record in power, and to play back to them a litany of these fails
Durham County Council now Reform controlled (on about 15% of the total electorate – 65% abstained).
Reform record since May :
One councillor didn’t even make the first council meeting, when it transpired he was employed by the council and therefore ineligible to stand. Resulting by-election saw Reform lose the seat.
One councillor resigned due to “long term health problems” – which begs the question why he stood in the first place. Resulting by-election saw Reform hold the seat, but with a big drop (600+) in their vote.
One councillor suspended by Reform when he was discovered making racist posts on social media.
One councillor actually expelled by Reform for getting drunk and nasty at some WW2 commemoration event. He continues to stand as an independent.
Not even six months in – we can only imagine what the charge sheet will look like by 2029.
One thing to bear in mind is that in order to stand for Reform all you have to do is join the party and nominate yourself – on their website it actually says that no political experience is necessery.
Deform will blame its failures on……….”immigrunts innit”
People take notice? Nope.
“People” have been voting for political imbeciles for 45 years, I see no inclination for change.
In fairness, the grooming they get from the UK meeja partly accounts for this.
2026 Oct – April 2029 – is the time frame other parties have to get the propaganda and narrative sorted.
Part of that should be to brand Deform as lying, thieving incompetants.
Not for the first time, I was infuriated by last night’s Westminster Hour on Radio 4. Nothing specifically to do with Reform, but still they spoke about immigration being everyone’s biggest concern, without noting that this is some people’s perception rather than in fact being a pretty minor problem that would be easily solved if the government chose not to kowtow to Reform.
Agreed
So true!
The red paint on roundabouts and street markings and red/white flags on lamp-posts is far more visible than the very very occasional non-white face in this rural part of East Yorkshire…
While all you say is perfectly correct Mike, I’m afraid it’s doubtful if the other main parties will get their propaganda, and narrative sorted. Unless they change almost completely, because, at the moment, they are virtually a pale carbon copy of Reform.
I’m perfectly happy to offer my services – for free. The problem with the other parties is that they are populated by “nice” people.
Which is fine – when in gov’ – but getting there is the problem. One needs attack lines – some of them could be unfair – & that goes against the grain for “nice” people.
Well, I don’t know.
I read the other day an interesting quote from Milan Kundera: ‘Man must take responsibility for his own ignorance’.
As a Czech living in the Soviet era, Kundera has something to teach the numpty voters in Kent and elsewhere who have voted these Reform charlatans in.
Sorry – not full of the joys of my fellow man today. Hell is other people.
But Reform could bravely defy the law, and set illegal budgets. They are meant to be radicals after all. Courageous councillors claiming our county back etc etc etc.
As a precedent, they could do what Clay Cross, Lambeth and Liverpool councillors did way back when, and set unlawful budgets, being then personally surcharged into personal bankrptcy (the law on surcharging was repealed in 2000).
But Reform UK Ltd Kent branch’s bold Kent councillors will turn out to be incompetent wimps, who have found out what a huge mistake they made, winning control of 12 councils, and learning how much harder governing is, than mere racist rabble rousing.
If Fa***e spent less time abroad listening to Trump’s latest incoherent ramblings, he might have discovered there is more to running Kent than standing on a shingle beach peering through binnoculars across the channel. Perhaps turn and face the OTHER way Nigel?
Among other things they promised savings on the cost of expenditure on asylum seekers, only to discover it wasn’t part of their budget but the Home Office’s. Ooops!
They promised savings in social care, only to discover any further cuts would take their levels of service below statutory minimum requirements.
Ooops!
So its 5% on council tax again.
So much for getting their county back…
Let’s hope the Kent media give this the attention it deserves.
https://www.ft.com/content/277c6a95-e45e-4e7b-a99b-b757693955ca
Much to agree with
Unfortunately I live in Kent, albeit a district that is Labour led, and the situation is as dire as many commentators point out. I cannot believe how so many could have been duped by Fartrage and his band of imbeciles. In recent weeks the local press has started to cast a more sceptical eye over some of Reform’s antics in County Hall. It will be interesting to see if this turns into a more consistent theme. One thing I have noticed is that very few people I talk to admit to having voted for Reform. I suspect that is out of embarrassment or shame. Nevertheless, as conditions continue to deteriorate, I suspect that even the most ardent Reform supporter will find it hard to justify their vote. I take a perverse pleasure in openly mocking Reform and those who voted them in safe in the knowledge that they have not got a credible reply. It is possible that, come 2029, Reform will be well and truly tarnished and the anticipated march of Reform will peter out. Mind you, Labour has made a rod for its own back with its naive pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of this Parliament. I am sure, based on a lifetime working with that sector, that it will not get anywhere near this figure and the public’s dissatisfaction with the lack of affordable homes will come back to haunt them too. (That, however, is a subject for further comment by me in due course.) This may just provide an opportunity for newer parties to make some political capital in the meantime. They can justifiably argue that the mainstream parties (which must include Reform) have betrayed the trust of the public and undermined the chance that the younger generations might have had for decent homes, employment rights and good public services. And don’t get me onto the subject of Brexit…..Reform is not only failing – it has already failed the public. It is time to hold Fartrage and his feet to the fire!
Thanks
Neoliberal parties, that’s most of them, always claim they will save money by preventing wasteful spending. And that has proved repeatedly to be false. The latest, most egregious, example is of DOGE, in the US, and further cutbacks following the government shutdown. It is too soon to know the full effect of these US cuts, but it’s clear the effects will be very damaging.
This appears to stem from a false belief that the incumbent parties are deliberately wasting money for political vanity projects. Sadly there is some justification for this; I’m thinking of HS2. 🙁 BUT, by and large, such claims are false. The right wing parties, which now sadly includes Labour, often claim that the benefits system is abused, for which there is no evidence, and that large savings are possible. Every time this is attempted it proves impossible. Of course there is fraud in the benefits system, it’s inevitable in any large, complicated, system. But it’s minuscule and insignificant, especially compared with white collar fraud and other crimes (repeatedly letting limited companies go bust for example). This leads to the cult of efficiency. For example, the idea that NHS beds must be 100% occupied. This is impossible and undesirable, any system needs slack, but leads to increased costs overall. This is put very well in George Monbiot’s column in the Guardian, which has been linked in other posts:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/04/crashed-bike-pothole-cost-cycling
So why is this? Perhaps one reason is that politicians know this is a rich country and, therefore, can afford excellent public services. And indeed it can. But clearly we don’t have them. From which neoliberals conclude that there must be waste and fraud. They can’t accept that their fundamental philosophy, treating government like a household, is wrong, that the problem is insufficient government spending and money creation. And so they look for scapegoats, waste, fraud, and immigration. Maybe at the root of this is ignorance and denial of fundamental economics. That’s why this blog, and others, are so important in trying to espouse the truth about economics.
Isn’t there a law preventing council tax to be raised above 5 per cent? If so Reform have had it if they haven’t already shot themselves in the feet.
Isn’t it if the proposed rise is above 5% it triggers a referendum ? Something like that … not sure its ever happened.
They can seek government exceptional consent as well, I think.
That’s all Farage’s policies are about “getting rid” of people like immigrants, spending on public goods and services, equitable taxes on the rich, and restrictions on the rich getting richer. He really ought to be called “Get Rid” Farage!
True story this. A person my wife works with is the “sometime” partner of a person who won a seat for Reform on Notts County Council last year. She tells my wife that he had absolutely no interest in politics, only in stirring up trouble over immigration as he ‘hates’ Muslims. He was selected as a candidate entirely on that basis. Apparently he now moans endlessly about the amount of work he has to do as a councilor, and all the meetings he has to attend. And he still professes to have no interest in politics. I wonder how many other Reform councilors are of a similar ilk?
That said, as another commentor notes, the best part about them getting into power locally last year (and more seats next year, probably), is that within a couple of years the extent to which they’re charlatans and liars will have been fully exposed. And they will simply be the a one issue party.
We all know that Councils were starved of funding by George Osborne during his mistaken imposition of austerity from 2011 onwards. Surely, Labour, who were highly critical of this austerity, are now in a position to reverse this serious error and restore funding to beleaguered local authorities.
They don’t want to do this, so voters should look around for an alternative to Labour and Tory to do it. Seems some have and alighted on Reform,Libdem or Green. Libdem are not promising anything, Reform want even more austerity, and Green are prevarication while offering some hope.
In conclusion if you want your politicians to reverse the austerity, then bad luck, there’s no party offering it. Maybe the new ‘Your Party’ might include it in their manifesto. If I joined them, I would suggest it, or do it regardless of being a member.