I’ve just taken a leisurely stroll through the Facebook pages of Reform candidates, and what a journey it was. There appears to be a tiny bit of confusion about Reform-run councils and their sudden enthusiasm for hiking council tax.
You see, every councillor is bravely explaining that they had to raise council tax because of the eye-watering debt they “inherited”. Which is fascinating, because one would assume that when you stand for election promising not to raise council tax, you might first check whether the council finances resemble a mild headache or a full-on financial apocalypse.
But hey—maybe they didn’t know. In which case, excellent news: not understanding the balance sheet of the organisation you want to run is apparently no barrier to leadership. If they did know, then the promise was meaningless. If they didn’t know… well, that’s arguably worse.
What Reform councils have raised council tax
For those keeping score at home, here’s how “no council tax rises” is going in practice:
- Lancashire County Council: Proposed a 3.8% increase
- Nottinghamshire County Council: Proposed a 3.99% increase (just under 4%, because maths)
- Kent County Council: Proposed a 3.99% increase (copy, paste, govern)
- Derbyshire County Council: Confirmed a 4.99% increase
- Leicestershire County Council: Proposed a 4.99% increase
- North Northamptonshire Council: Proposed a 4.99% increase
- Staffordshire County Council: Proposed a 4.99% increase
- Warwickshire County Council: Proposed a 4.99% increase
- West Northamptonshire Council: Proposed a 4.99% increase
- Lincolnshire County Council: Consulting on a rise of 5% (asking politely before taking more money)
- Worcestershire County Council: Applied for special government permission to increase taxes by up to 10% (because why dream small?)
So yes, absolutely no council tax rises—apart from all the council tax rises. But don’t worry, it’s fine. They inherited the mess which, apparently, came as a complete surprise the moment they got the keys.
