Reform UK’s “flagship” local authority plans to raise council tax by almost 4 per cent – despite pledges to cut taxes before last year’s local elections.
Kent County Council (KCC) unveiled its draft budget for 2026-27 on Thursday evening, revealing a 3.99 per cent council tax increase.
Reform took control of the authority after the local elections in May, where it overturned a 30-year Tory majority, winning 57 out of 81 seats.
It comes just days after Reform-led Staffordshire county council proposed a 3.99 per cent council tax increase under its budget proposal for 2026-27.
Meanwhile, four other local authorities – Derbyshire, North Northamptonshire, West Northamptonshire and Leicestershire – where Reform UK has a majority or is the biggest party, have indicated they will make 5 per cent council tax rises, the maximum allowed increase.
In the run-up to the election, election material from KCC Reform candidates included statements of intent such as: “Reduce waste and cut your taxes.”
The planned hike is slightly more than 1 per cent below the government cap of 5 per cent, which has led opposition councillors to warn of further impacts on key services and overall funding from central government.
In real terms, an average Band D household will see council tax increase by an estimated £67.47 per year under the changes.
It comes after a leaked video of a heated virtual meeting last year showed KCC leader Linden Kemkaran telling her Reform colleagues they needed to keep the council tax increase below 5 per cent because they were a “shop window” for what the party could do in government.
In the wake of the video being leaked, three members of the council were expelled for “dishonest and deceptive behaviour”.
In a statement on Thursday, Ms Kemkaran said: “These proposals reflect the real priorities of Kent residents. People took the time to share their views, and we listened.”
She said the council was in a “very serious financial situation” when it came in, saddled with hundreds of millions of pounds in debt. She added that the latest budget aimed to “stabilise” the local authority’s finances.
But the Liberal Democrat opposition at KCC accused Reform of financial mismanagement and a “total betrayal” of election promises.
Its leader, Antony Hook, said: “Reform stood for election, promising to make savings and lower the burden on taxpayers.
“Today, that promise has been utterly broken. They are boasting about a nearly 4 per cent increase instead of 5 per cent, a difference of just 33p per week for the average Kent family.
“It’s a poor outcome given the hype and promises made at the election and for the last nine months.”
Other KCC leaders have also argued that raising council tax by less than the 5 per cent allowed by the government could lead to a lower grant in future from Westminster.
“For every 1 per cent of council tax that you reduce, it costs you, on paper, £10m,” said Harry Rayner, Conservative group leader at KCC.
“Now it doesn’t stop there; the government have the option in those circumstances to reduce the amount they give you in grant money by the same amount again, another £10m. So actually in order to save £10m, you end up losing £20m.”
Ms Kemkaran has said that the 3.99 per cent increase has been achieved “while protecting frontline services”.
She added: “In fact, many services will see increased spending because of the difference they make to people’s lives.”
The draft budget proposals were published yesterday to be considered at a series of meetings through January.
KCC will determine its final budget and council tax charge on 12 February at a full council meeting.
Source: UK Politics - www.independent.co.uk
