Opposition leaders criticise Reform-led West Northamptonshire Council for 'failing to deliver promised tax cuts'

Their response comes after the authority announced that all services had set targets to reduce spending, with cabinet members and senior officers so far identifying £20 million in savings out of a major £50 million shortfall.

Budget scrutiny sessions, known as Star Chambers, have reviewed spending and ensured that every opportunity to cut costs has been explored. The council added that the efficiencies already identified can be made while protecting frontline services “as far as possible”.

Despite the current savings, council leader Mark Arnull said “difficult choices would still be needed in the months ahead”. The WNC budget announcement also commented on the uncertainty the council faces as it waits on the outcome of the Government’s Fair Funding consultation, which will give the council a proportion of its income to spend on services.

In response to the budget update, West Northants Conservative group leader, Councillor Dan Lister, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The excuses are already rolling in from an administration that started with no ideas and still has none. Where is the promised DOGE and the massive cuts in so‑called waste that were pledged?

“Instead, residents face rising council tax. The same funding challenges have existed since 2021, yet a Conservative administration still managed to set a balanced budget every year.

“A fifth of the so‑called savings identified now are from a one‑off tweak to pension contributions – only possible because the fund was well managed under the previous Conservative administration.

“That is not reform, it’s sleight of hand. The devil is in the detail, and the detail tells a clear story of failure.”

The council explained that the £50 million gap is due to funding not keeping pace with its “growing population and the continued rise in demand for services supporting the most vulnerable residents, such as children’s and adults social care, temporary housing for homelessness and SEND school transport”.

WNC has not confirmed at this stage where the £20 million of savings so far have come from, apart from stating that around £16 million has been taken from service budgets and an additional £4 million is from the pension fund for 2026/27.

Councillor Sally Keeble, leader of the Labour group, added: “This budget will show how Reform intends to match their election rhetoric to reality.

“They promised tax cuts. They said their failed DOGE initiative would cut waste and save millions. This statement shows neither is happening.

“People in West Northants continue to suffer from the legacy of 14 years of Tory government austerity and even longer of Tory mismanagement of local services. Housing and children’s services especially bear the scars. The impact falls on everyone – service users and council tax payers.

“The Labour government has provided funds for pressing local priorities of potholes, police and for a family hub. Its fair funding policy promises to be a once in generation reform of local government finance that will put us on a better course for the future.

“Reform will need to explain to people that they have no silver bullets. Tax cuts and Doge aren’t going to fix this. Overcoming the disastrous Tory legacy will take political grit.”

Lib Dem group leader, Councillor Jonathan Harris, said that the process of looking for savings through Star Chambers is something that has happened every year, no matter what political group is in charge. He warned, however, that next year’s budget has the “largest gap at this point” since the council’s creation in 2021 and that council tax increases are “pretty much built into future funding equations”.

“We are advocating that the council should not just be looking at efficiencies and savings – you can only squeeze the lemon so much – but also looking at progressive opportunities to raise revenue, such as visitor levies,” Cllr Harris added.

“The council leader should come clean now and be honest and transparent by telling people that cutting taxes, which was their promise, is impossible without cutting services and that people should expect the full 4.99 percent council tax increase yet again. He should also come clean that the so-called ‘DOGE’ project is a dodo.

“I genuinely worry about the ongoing burden of hikes in council tax. It will squeeze residents’ standards of living. This now appears even more of a concern in the context of what now looks like a Labour Government heading towards income tax increases for us all at the November budget.

“The reality is that for the council to receive a Fairer Funding settlement payment from central government, the government needs the funds to do this. Even Reform UK have spun a full 180 degrees on this issue, recognising that it can’t make the tax cuts it promised at the last General Election.

“If they had their finger on the pulse of such realities, they wouldn’t make such empty promises.”

WNC Reform UK leader, Councillor Mark Arnull, said: “After 20 years of the Conservatives asleep at the wheel, and little opposition holding them to account, it’s no surprise we face these major financial challenges today.

“When Reform UK took over in West Northants in May, we quickly got to work and promised to cut waste, and so far, we’ve identified £20 million in savings before the budget is even drafted. If the opposition spent less time writing dramatic quotes and more time helping fix the mess they left behind, we’d all be even further ahead.”

He did not respond to the LDRS’ request to confirm if the council is planning to raise council tax next year, and if so, by how much.

WNC will present its draft budget proposals for 2026/2027 at its cabinet meeting on Monday, December 22, which will then be followed by a six-week public consultation.

The feedback will then go into the final budget proposals presented to full council for final approval in February 2026.

In response to questions on council tax and what services or departments have been identified for further cuts, a council spokesperson said that it is still shaping the draft budget proposals and will provide additional information at the December cabinet.