Britain's Reform party faces local authority tests

Elizabeth Piper, Reuters

Britain's Reform UK has surged in popularity on the back of fiery rhetoric against illegal immigrants, the European Union and the country's traditional ruling parties. But now some of its officials are juggling more mundane issues such as local taxes, refuse collection and filling in potholes, in a first test of the party's governing credentials. Under veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, Reform UK won nearly half the local authorities up for grabs in 2025 and, as a result, has an opportunity to deliver on its ideas, including scrapping net-zero targets and "woke" policies. If Reform impresses, it could upend British politics by converting a solid lead in polls into gains at the expense of the governing Labour Party and opposition Conservatives, potentially installing Farage as Britain's next prime minister.

Having pledged to cut costs while maintaining essential services, the party is modelling its efficiency drive on US tech billionaire Elon Musk's work in the US government. But Reform has no prior experience of government and only five lawmakers in Britain's 650-seat parliament. "It's a bit of a test case," Reform's Mark Arnull said of his work as leader of the West Northamptonshire unitary council, the local authority responsible for a wide range of local government services for around 429,000 people living in the area, about 60 miles (100 km) northwest of London. Reform won control of 10 of the 23 local authorities contested in local elections in May, handing the party influence over more than 8 million residents. Across England, there are 317 such entities. At stake is whether the party, now enjoying a 10-point lead in polls, can offer a serious alternative to the established major parties before Britain's next election, due in 2029.

Farage has said US President Donald Trump's election win is an inspiration and the two share similar positions on clamping down on immigration, reopening factories to revive manufacturing and scrapping policies tackling climate change. Drawing from Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Reform is trying to identify efficiencies to cut waste and has set up DOGE-like teams at a national and local level, such as in Arnull's office, where they are scrutinising spending on everything from IT systems to waste management.

If Reform wins power nationally, the party has pledged the biggest overhaul of government spending since World War Two, saying it could save 225 billion ($300 billion) over five years. Economists have dismissed the plans — along with another to slash taxes by 90 billion pounds a year — as fanciful, warning they could be swiftly rejected by the markets in the same way tax cuts in 2022 by former Conservative prime minister Liz Truss triggered a bond and sterling meltdown that forced her to quit.

Farage has pledged to balance the budget and vowed a Reform government would "never borrow to spend". As a result, Reform's DOGE efforts can only go so far. Arnull and six other Reform officials interviewed by Reuters said the focus is, for now, on being more pragmatic. Arnull says he is most likely to increase council tax, which is based on the value of homes and goes to local authorities, by 5%, the maximum allowed. That goes against the party's national broader tax-cutting drive.

He admits it might not be popular with voters but is confident he can explain why it's needed to ward off "serious financial trouble". Reform's popularity has surged this year as discontent with Prime Minister Keir Starmer mounts. Pollster YouGov suggested last month the party could win 311 seats, 15 short of a majority, in the next election. But like right-wing parties elsewhere in Europe, such as France's National Rally (RN) and Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD), Reform is discovering that transitioning from protest to power, even at a local level, is complex and brings scrutiny.

Doing so also requires a level of discipline and organisation rarely associated with the party. Since being founded as the Brexit Party in 2018 and then rebranded as Reform UK in 2021, the party has been accused of racism, which it has denied, and seen two lawmakers being suspended over allegations of misconduct. Reform has instituted a new vetting procedure to weed out problem candidates and welcomed dozens of councillors, as well as several former and current lawmakers from the Conservatives. But leaked video of an internal meeting of Reform's flagship council in Kent suggested continued infighting over decision making. In the meeting, reported by The Guardian newspaper on October 18, council members were told by the Reform council leader to "suck it up" if they disagreed with decisions. The party expelled five Kent councillors in response.

Speaking at a party conference in September, Farage said Reform faced "certain obstructions" in the councils it runs, including cases where new councillors were denied access to official finances or council records.

"I imagine if we win the next election, we may face similar barriers to the kinds of real change that this country needs," he said. Asked about council savings, Farage told Reuters the party had saved "hundreds of millions". "We're going to be saying a lot more about this over the next few weeks," he said, without providing details. As head of West Northamptonshire council, Arnull oversees the running of everything from housing services and waste collection to adult social care and children's services.

Over the years, councils across the UK have accumulated large debt burdens, struggling with government cuts, the rising cost of social care and, in some cases, poor investments, something Reform has promised to tackle.

One party official involved in setting up the national DOGE unit visited a council Reform took over and said he was shocked to see outdated IT systems that wasted hours of staff time. The official did not provide more details.

In West Northamptonshire, Arnull's council has cut net-zero climate change targets, saying they were "simply undeliverable". In partnership with Northamptonshire Children's Trust and North Northamptonshire Council, it has renegotiated a software deal to save 1 million pounds across three years. Arnull has plans to make recycling centres more efficient too.

Another area being scrutinised is transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which costs West Northamptonshire 15.5 million pounds and is expected to rise as 1,500 more children undergo eligibility assessments. Arnull said he would improve route planning and introduce minibuses to take groups of students to improve efficiency, rather than cut the service. Not all Reform's proposals have sailed through.

In July, a council meeting was moved into a different room after clean air campaigners opposed to scrapping net-zero targets burst in, playing music and wearing fancy dress costumes, according to local newspaper, the Northampton Chronicle & Echo.

While Reform has built a reputation on its anti-immigration stance and has flirted with vaccine scepticism, Arnull says he is firmly on the side of making "practical choices" to make sure his administration is "fiscally responsible".

That has entailed adopting much of the plan drafted by the council's former Conservative leadership, which Reform previously criticised.

Citing better collaboration, Lynn Taylor, 70, an independent councillor of 22 years, described Reform "as a breath of fresh air". Away from the decision making, others say it is business as usual. "I haven't seen any changes at all," said resident Elizabeth Snedker, 63. Farage says defections are needed to deepen the party's institutional experience and he promotes its offer of radical change to boost its appeal. Jake Berry, a former Conservative chairman who defected in July, is one of 19 former and current Conservative lawmakers to move to Reform since March 2024. Berry said the Conservatives had become "more interested in preserving the status quo than delivering change", and was convinced by Farage about the party's ambition for Britain.