Labour and Tories thought they had Reform UK by neck on this – it’s not quite worked | Politics | News
Considering what a mess the Tories and Labor have left local government in. Never mind the smears about Reformation England, where the Tories and Labor reneged on promises not to raise local government taxes, today Nigel Farage’s party unveils a £700 million cost-cutting drive that has helped its councils deliver the lowest average tax increases in the UK. Reform MP Richard Tice will say the nine Reform-led councils are saving £45m a year on taxpayers’ bills, with £400m worth of savings earmarked for the next financial year. This is in addition to the £325 million that has been saved to date.
This is of great importance as Reform remains the favorite in the local elections to be held across the country in May. Indeed, the ruling Labor Party was so fearful of the results of the May elections that Sir Keir Starmer’s party even attempted to block them, claiming that local government reforms made it unsuitable for them to go ahead. Not because Labor is in a bad position, you see.
Tax rises in Reform-led councils will average just under 4% next year, despite claims that Reform is reneging on explicit promises not to cut taxes. By contrast, the same figure will be 4.7% for Labor councils, 4.9% for Tory councils and 5.49% for Liberal Democrat councils.
Voters need to take this into account, as local government performance provides evidence of how each major party will perform in national government. Frankly, the Labour-Conservative profligacy should surprise no one, given that these two parties cannot squander taxpayers’ money fast enough while in high office.
As well as being a serious waste of taxpayers’ money, reform councils are also leading criminal human trafficking. For example, Kent County Council’s Reform leadership will declare an “illegal immigration emergency” on Thursday and say the small boat “invasion” is putting pressure on public services and finances. By the way, when did the British people vote in favor of these open borders?
Ultimately, Reform, which is still ahead in the polls, will make big gains in May, although some elections (such as several newly created mayoralties) are still postponed until after 2026. Voters need to pay close attention to what is happening at the local level because this is how each party will govern at Westminster. If the public wants a party alongside small businesses, hard-working taxpayers, and law-abiding citizens, frankly, there’s only one place to go!
