Experts say councils face limits on cuts as Reform’s savings on IT deals, office moves and EV projects are disputed
Reform UK has ignored requests to share the evidence for its claim to have saved £331m since it took charge of 10 English councils in May, prompting questions over whether the figure is true.
The party has boasted that it had achieved £331m worth of savings at English councils it controls. Warning of a “blob” of vested interests devoted to “ripping off” taxpayers, Richard Tice, the new head of the party’s self-styled ‘Doge’ cost-cutting unit, added: “We’re going to war with these people”.
Yet on closer analysis, examples of supposed savings at councils ranging from Durham to its “showcase” Kent appear questionable. In some cases, credit is claimed for initiatives already set in train by predecessors.
When the supposed savings initiatives described by Reform are totted up, there is still an unexplained shortfall of £260m. Reform’s press team repeatedly told the Guardian that a full list detailing the £331m in savings had been produced and would be shared. But despite numerous requests since Monday, it has not been provided.
