Farage to launch Reform local election campaign promising ‘breath of fresh air’

Nigel Farage will officially launch Reform UK’s local election campaign, promising to deliver “a breath of fresh air in English councils up and down the UK”.

The Reform leader has held a series of election rallies across the country in recent weeks, but will formally begin his party’s campaign for the May 7 polls at an event in Sunderland on Thursday.

He is expected to use the event to list a series of achievements in the local authorities already run by Reform, saying voters were “already seeing a difference on the ground”.

Ahead of the rally, Mr Farage said Reform was “delivering a total culture shift in local government, sweeping away the establishment consensus and finally putting residents first”.

He added: “Where the old parties have failed and left behind a trail of ruined councils in their wake, Reform will deliver a breath of fresh air in English councils up and down the UK.”
Central to his pitch will be Reform’s claim to have identified £700 million in savings across its 12 councils, which Mr Farage claimed had been delivered “without touching frontline services”.

Reform continues to lead in the polls and is expected to do well in May, adding to the 677 councillors it won in last year’s local elections.

Labour has also criticised Reform for increasing council tax despite promising to cut the levy before last year’s local elections.

Reform now says council tax rises in authorities where it has majority control have averaged less than those run by Labour, the Conservatives or the Lib Dems, while describing below-inflation increases in some councils as a “real-terms tax cut”.

But this does not include Worcestershire , where Reform runs a minority administration and increased council tax this year by 9%.

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Labour Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: “Reform’s promises fall apart the moment they take power.

“They said they would cut taxes and waste, but in council after council they’re hiking council tax and slashing services.”