Reform has made "big claims" about council savings it has made, but has not provided evidence to back them up
Reform UK has been accused of making a habit of making “big claims without the evidence” after the party claimed it has found more than £700 million in savings at councils it runs.
At a press conference yesterday, Richard Tice said that Reform had already saved £325 million at the 10 councils it controls since 1 May 2025.
Reform’s deputy leader also said his party has earmarked savings of over £400 million for 2026/27, but did not go into any detail about where it has found the savings.
As examples, Tice mentioned that Reform has saved “tens of millions” on a waste contract in Durham, as well as “tens of millions” on an IT contract in Lincolnshire and “millions on millions” on taxi services in Lancashire.
The County Durham contract relates to plans to build a Teesside waste incinerator. Despite previously condemning the plans and urging other councils involved in the project to exit the contract, Reform decided to press ahead with the incinerator, which will cost £2 billion.
Reform claims it renegotiated the contract to save £73 million for taxpayers in County Durham. However, according to Palatinate, much of the work and planning for this project, including the purchase of land occurred under previous council administrations.
Reform claims its IT contract in Lincolnshire saved £30 million. However, the Conservatives, who previously ran Lincolnshire County Council, told the Guardian that “the new service was designed over recent years and was awarded to a company already designated as a ‘preferred bidder’”.
Tice did not provide any details on the taxi service savings in Lancashire.
Responding to Tice’s speech, UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards said: “Big claims without the evidence to back them up are something of a Reform UK trademark.
“Whether it’s broken promises on council tax cuts, policy positions that collapse when the figures are scrutinised or an ever-changing stance on Iran, it seems nothing the party says can be trusted.
“People need serious solutions to the many problems councils face, not soundbites that don’t stand up to scrutiny.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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