Farage’s Promises vs. Reform UK’s Reality in Local Councils

In his New Year message, Nigel Farage painted a picture of national decay, pledging that Reform UK would restore pride, slash taxes, and defend communities. But is that actually happening in places where Reform now holds power?

Let’s look at the facts from Kent, Derbyshire, Warwickshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, and other councils where Reform leads.

📈 1. Council Tax Rises, Not Cuts

Farage promised lower taxes. Yet in Kent, Reform is planning the maximum legal council tax rise (4.99%) to fill a £46.5m deficit. Rather than cutting spending fast enough to balance this, the council now plans a council-tax rise at the maximum allowed (4.99%). Liberal Democrat councillors there note that the Reform campaign leaflet promised tax cuts. However, the budget is now based on a 5% increase. Similarly in Warwickshire, Reform is the largest party on a hung council. Senior officers warned that anything less than a 4.99% council tax rise would be “a riskier financial strategy”. In short, Warwickshire’s Reform leaders have effectively been forced to reverse their promise to avoid big tax hikes.

West Northamptonshire’s new Reform leader has also signalled a 5% rise as “most likely”. Across multiple councils now in Reform hands, official forecasts show hundreds of millions of pounds of shortfall in 2026/27. Tax rises or deep cuts are almost inevitable. In practice, Reform councillors are moving from campaigning on tax relief. They are now approving maximum-permitted increases and emergency spending cuts. This is the opposite of “cutting bills” on which they rode to power.

Broken promise: Reform campaigned on cutting bills, but is overseeing what may become record local tax increases.

🏥 2. Cuts to Public Services

Rather than expanding services or protecting budgets, many Reform-led councils are reviewing or cutting them. In Derbyshire (Reform-controlled), plans to close 8 public care homes for older people went ahead under the new cabinet. These plans were originally agreed under the prior Conservative administration. The decision prompted union outrage at job losses and the betrayal of campaign promises.

In Lancashire (Reform majority), the council has launched consultation. They are considering closing five council-run elderly homes and day centres. They cite dilapidation and £4 m “savings” as reasons. Across Reform authorities, even education budgets are under pressure.

In Kent, they proposed taking £2m from school budgets to cover basic legal compliance costs. Adult and continuing education is hit too, Derbyshire announced closing five adult-education centres with little consultation. In Durham, Reform plans to cut leisure services funding. They also plan to scrap a council scheme that helps the poorest pay their council tax bills.

These actions conflict with Farage’s claim to offer “hope” and protect communities. Local research finds that during the first 100 days, Reform rule in Kent and Lancashire delivered “chaos.” There were service cuts instead of rapid improvement. Council minutes show Reform administrations scrambling to find savings. For instance, Kent’s “DOGE” efficiency unit even cancelled a £30m home-insulation scheme. This action was intended to “claw back” money. Reform councillors have not eased pressures on voters. Instead, they have begun to cut staff or services to plug holes. For example, Durham’s deputy leader proposed rescinding that council’s 2019 climate-emergency declaration. This proposal was made as part of savings. He also flagged cuts to public leisure and social care .)

Far from investing in communities, they’re cutting the services that people rely on most

🏡 3. No Real Housing Solutions

Farage railed against restrictive planning under “woke” governments, but on local housing issues Reform messages have been mixed. There is no evidence Reform councils are building more homes; instead some have focused on policing who lives where. Lancashire’s council leader, an AI-enthusiast Tory defector, publicly campaigns against HMOs (“Houses of Multiple Occupation”), claiming family homes are “stuffed full of undocumented ‘fighting-age males’ who terrorise communities”

This focus on immigration and crime (rather than, say, affordable housing) mirrors Reform’s national tone but has drawn criticism locally. Meanwhile on major developments, Reform councillors have moved to block green infrastructure projects. In Kent, which is now Reform-led, the proposed Romney Marsh solar farm is being targeted by the party’s councillors. This farm would power roughly 20% of county homes. In Staffordshire (Reform coalition), windfarm and solar proposals in the moorlands and Cheadle are targeted for opposition. These local stances align with Reform’s promise to “put every hurdle in [renewable projects’] way”.

However, local analysts note that blocking such projects could have major economic costs (see below). In housing policy more broadly, we found no sign of new local initiatives to ease home ownership. Reform has not improved access to social housing. Instead, the emphasis has been on limiting development or enforcing immigration-linked rules.

Affordable housing? Social housing? No sign of expansion, just dog-whistle politics

🌱 4. Green Backlash Without Alternatives

Farage mocks net-zero goals and Reform-run councils have indeed rolled back many climate commitments. The new Reform administration in North Northamptonshire scrapped its 2030 carbon-neutral target. They have pushed it out to 2050 (the national target).

West Northamptonshire has abandoned any faster timetable. They removed all references to “net zero” and “climate change” from official documents. Kent’s Reform cabinet cancelled planned energy-efficiency upgrades (£14m of schemes) and halted plans for an all-electric vehicle fleet. Durham (Reform majority) abandoned a council EV procurement project and paused solar panel installations, saying they were too costly.

In Lincolnshire (also under Reform), concern over “enormous” solar farms has fueled local political backlash.

These local decisions mirror Farage’s hostility to green policy, but come with trade-offs. CarbonBrief notes Reform councils now oversee planning for roughly 6 GW of solar/battery projects. Reform’s pledges to block them could put that capacity at risk.

Associated jobs could also be endangered. Indeed, net-zero industries employ ~12,200 people in Greater Lincolnshire alone, contributing nearly £980m locally. Analysts warn that halting large renewable projects nationally could cost 28,300+ UK jobs, many in Reform-held areas like Lincolnshire.

On the energy front, these councils have not pioneered cutting-edge “net zero” technologies. They have effectively deprioritised green investment. They have even begun cutting clean-energy roles. (Notably, the whole question of heat pumps or low-energy housing is barely mentioned at the local level.) In sum, Reform’s energy policies at the local level underscore Farage’s accusation that net-zero is costly, but they do not yet show a viable alternative energy plan taking its place.

These moves risk thousands of clean energy jobs, especially in Lincolnshire, where green sectors contribute nearly £1bn to the local economy

📚 5. Empty Talk on Education

Farage emphatically promises a “patriotic” history curriculum, but local councils have little direct control over school syllabuses. We found no record of Reform councillors in these counties passing motions on history teaching. What has emerged is pressure on education budgets. As noted above, Kent is planning to fund some safety-compliance costs by cutting £2m from school budgets. Derbyshire (Reform-run) abruptly closed adult-education centres in 2025, citing budget constraints. In Doncaster (37/55 Reform), council papers show a balanced budget scenario. It is contingent on higher tax rates. It is not reliant on new education spending. In short, local Reform administrations have not been seen championing curriculum change. They are not promoting new school programs. Instead, schools are being asked to absorb tighter budgets. There is no local evidence, for example, of councils ordering new school history lessons on the British Empire.

💡 6. Innovation? Mostly Absent

Farage claims Reform “understands new tech” (crypto, AI, etc.) and that net-zero policies kill jobs. On tech, Reform councils have dabbled in AI for efficiency. This is notable in Lancashire, where councillors boast an “AI camera” on bin lorries to map potholes and plan repairs. They also use AI to speed social-care assessments. But these efforts are mostly austerity-driven, not part of a wider digital-economic strategy. There is no evidence of any Reform council backing blockchain, crypto-mining, or local AI industry. Farage’s tech claims remain rhetorical at the local level.

On jobs and the economy, Farage highlights immigration and Brexit, but local data suggest a different picture. Many Reform-run counties are industrial or rural areas that rely on green industries: e.g., Greater Lincolnshire’s offshore wind and biofuel sectors. Local reports note that Reform risks stripping away thousands of potential high-skilled jobs in their own areas. They do this by attacking renewable projects. For example, each big solar farm planned in Lincolnshire represents local investment. These farms also create jobs. Reform councillors have been largely silent on preserving them. Meanwhile, councils under Reform rule are not reporting new business booms or job schemes to counter national hardship. The nearest Reform councils come to local “growth” talk is touting cost-cutting and infrastructure maintenance (fixing roads, etc.). In practice, councils are facing social-care and SEN budget crises. Kent’s SEN deficit is projected to double this year. These issues may further tighten local economies.

Values of Family, Community, Country”

Farage emphasises family and community values as Reform’s raison d’être. Yet some of Reform’s first local actions have been symbolic rather than service-oriented. In Lancashire and Nottinghamshire, new councils have allocated money for flags and anthem ceremonies (Lancashire prohibits Pride flags at meetings, and Doncaster briefly discussed union and St. George’s flags), gestures derided by critics as divisive or trivial. Meanwhile, spending on core services (care, schools, parks, roads) is under scrutiny. Across the board, Reform councillors’ “values” lead to cuts to staff or programs in the name of efficiency. They do not lead to expansions of family or community services. Indeed, insiders note the first 100 days of Reform governance have involved the appointment of a new cabinet member. They have also appointed new advisers even as key decisions (e.g. budget approval) were delayed.

Critics argue that Reform’s brand of nationalism and community pride is often expressed via rhetoric rather than on-the-ground improvements. For example, a union petition in Nottinghamshire decried spending £75k on union flags as ignoring schools, healthcare and safety. Reform’s narrative about a “broken” country seems more directed at national politics than at measurable local change. So far, “hopes” and “values” promised by Farage have not translated into obvious expansions of local support services or prosperity. Instead, many voters (like one 93-year-old care-home resident in Lancashire) feel reformers are “tearing people’s lives apart” by closing services.

🧾 Conclusion: Real Change or Real Contradictions?

Overall, Farage’s sweeping claims only partly match reality. Reform UK did win many local councils “comfortably”, but those victories have been followed by hard fiscal reckonings. Most Reform-led councils are forecasting deficits instead of offering generous services or tax cuts. They are planning maximum council-tax hikes to avoid insolvency. Farage’s promise to offer “real change” is becoming evident through aggressive cost-cutting. This sometimes alarms local residents. There is also a rollback of green and diversity initiatives. His tech-friendly rhetoric finds only modest echoes (e.g. AI for potholes in Lancashire), but no bold innovation programs.

If Reform UK genuinely plans to overhaul education or lead Britain into an AI-powered future, then their control of local councils is the perfect opportunity to show us how. Councils can support digital skills training, fund local tech hubs, or innovate in community education. But instead, we’ve seen budget cuts to adult learning in Derbyshire, no investment in local AI capacity beyond basic admin tools, and silence on real digital inclusion. If they can’t demonstrate vision or competence at the local level, why should voters trust them with the nation?

In short, Reform’s local record so far tends to contradict Farage’s cheerleading. Voters who were “frightened to walk the streets” might instead worry that their council tax bills are rising and local amenities shrinking. The party may claim to stand for family and community. However, their councils are grappling with cuts. They are also facing petitions over flagpoles. Reform’s first hundred days have been marked by “clickbait and chaos”. They have not been marked by the effective delivery of services or new prosperity. In this light, Farage’s bravado about Reform being the sole agent of positive change is hard to reconcile. It conflicts with the mixed and often troubled experiences in towns and villages across these counties.

🪧 Curious what voters think? One 93-year-old resident in Lancashire put it best: “They’re tearing people’s lives apart.”

Sources: Council documents and local news reports (by Kent CC, Derbyshire CC, Doncaster CC, Warwickshire CC, etc.), local-media and national outlets (The Guardian, Reuters, BBC/ITV, Carbon Brief, Environment Journal), and analyses of Reform-run council performance