Reform UK Promised Lower Council Tax – Kent Got a 3.99% Rise

Reform UK swept to power at Kent County Council in May 2025 promising to “reduce waste and cut your taxes”. Kent was meant to be their flagship council – a “shop window” for what a Reform government could do nationally.

Less than a year later, that shop window is looking distinctly cracked.

This week, Reform UK’s administration at Kent County Council published its draft budget proposals – and they include a 3.99% increase in Council Tax. That is just a whisker below the 5% maximum councils can impose without a referendum, and a world away from what voters were promised on the doorstep.

A clear betrayal of voters’ trust

During the election campaign, Reform candidates repeatedly told residents they would cut taxes. Their leaflets and online material made bold claims about savings, efficiency and relieving the burden on household bills.

Now, instead of cuts, Kent residents are being hit with one of the largest council tax rises possible.

Liberal Democrat Group Leader at KCC, Antony Hook, did not mince his words:

“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% increase instead of 5% – a difference of just 33p per week for the average Kent family.
That is a very poor outcome given the hype and promises made at the election and over the last nine months.”

Not just Kent – a national pattern emerging

Kent is not an isolated case. Just days ago, it emerged that Reform-led Staffordshire County Council is also proposing a 3.99% council tax rise for 2026–27.

So much for “cutting council tax”.

Across the country, where Reform has responsibility, their first instinct appears to be exactly the same as the old parties they rail against – putting up bills and hoping residents won’t notice.

Mismanagement, excuses and empty rhetoric

Reform’s Kent leader, Linden Kemkaran, has attempted to justify the increase by blaming inherited financial pressures, pointing to over £700 million of council debt and rising service demands.

But Kent’s finances were not a secret before the election. Reform knew the numbers. They chose to campaign anyway on tax cuts they clearly had no credible plan to deliver.

Even more concerning, the Reform administration is now raiding the Council’s emergency reserves to prop up its budget. Those reserves exist for genuine emergencies – severe winters, flooding, or pressures on ambulance and social care services.

If Kent faces a bad winter, residents may rightly ask: why were those safety nets already spent?

Chaos behind the scenes

This tax rise comes against a backdrop of instability and inexperience. Last year, four Reform councillors were suspended after a leaked Zoom call revealed a chaotic internal meeting. In it, the Council Leader told colleagues to “f***** suck it up”* when disagreeing with her decisions – comments that shocked many residents and invited comparisons with the infamous Handforth Parish Council meeting.

This is not the calm, competent leadership Kent was promised.

Budget secrecy raises serious questions

Reform delayed publishing their budget proposals for as long as possible. Now we know why.

When the figures finally emerged, the reality was clear: higher council tax, depleted reserves, and no convincing long-term plan.

Kent residents deserved better

For many people, Kent was Reform UK’s chance to prove they could move beyond slogans and actually govern. Instead, what residents have experienced is an administration that finds it easier to complain and grandstand than to do the hard work of running vital public services.

As Kent residents, we have all been living through this experiment – and it has been a tough one.

The Liberal Democrats believe Kent deserves honest leadership, competent financial management, and clear priorities – not broken promises and last-minute tax hikes.

Reform said “vote for us to cut Council Tax”.
They got elected – and promptly put it up.

That tells you everything you need to know.

Roll on the next elections.