Reform party, now running Kent County Council are likely to raise the rate Council tax.

They're all the same lol!

It was reported on Sky news last night. I hope it will put some people off voting for them as it becomes clear they don't really have answers to problems.

Yes I would say they’re all the same. Labour promised not to put up CT but did 😩

People voted them in. People can vote them out.

Mt61

Yes I would say they’re all the same. Labour promised not to put up CT but did 😩

Labour does not set council tax rises per se. What government does it to set the maximum percentage CT can be raised by without a referendum.

For 2025/26, it said that local authorities could raise core council tax by 3% and the adult social care precept by 2% without need for local referendum.

The rate is then set by each individual authority with authorities able to retain all of the funding raised from council tax in their area to support their budget.

For 2025/26 my local council raised the core tax by only 1.75% plus the adult social care precept of 2% so below the maximum.

All the rises PaynesGrey lists are below current inflation level. We all know the elderly population is rising and community services to support them will continue to increase as a result. The demands on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) have also increased following COVID. Local Authorities (LA)/County Councils (CC) have a STATUTORY duty to deliver these elderly and SEND services.

Reform pledged to reduce CC/ LA spending by "reducing waste' and stopping "unnecessary DEI" spending thereby reducing council tax. The emerging story is its just not possible.....

Farage claims similarly to 'cut waste in government spending" at national level to fund his national pledges, eg. tax cuts and "mass deportations and scrapping indefinite leave to remain" policies etc. a whopping £350 billion pounds over a 5 year period.

If Reform are not able to identify waste at local level to cut council tax payments as promised over the next 4 ears, I have little confidence they can achieve cost savings at national level.

Don't have the details to hand but allegedly, one of Farage's financial advisors, or similar, is now being investigated by the tax folk.
So, maybe a wee bit dodgy with their book keeping?

Maremia

Don't have the details to hand but allegedly, one of Farage's financial advisors, or similar, is now being investigated by the tax folk.
So, maybe a wee bit dodgy with their book keeping?

His grandfather is a Baron and his uncle is Lord Hesketh.

It's not so easy running the show instead of mouthing off and rioting.

Grantanow I think that's a lesson all the parties find (not the rioting, the mouthing off). Theory is a wonderful place where anything is possible, reality is quite another thing. I do feel for the people in Kent who fell for the hype, and even more so for those who didn't!

Maremia

Don't have the details to hand but allegedly, one of Farage's financial advisors, or similar, is now being investigated by the tax folk.
So, maybe a wee bit dodgy with their book keeping?

People who think Reform are there to help working people need to check out their various links ( eg Russia) and who exactly is funding them. One such person is an American climate change denier I believe.

Don McGowan’s substack piece on the DOGE nonsense.

donmcgowan333.substack.com/p/dolge?r=5wpi28&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

I see there has been a batch of Tory councillor defections to Reform today. Leaving one sinking ship for another or a Trojan horse.

I think the clouds are starting to gather over Farage e.g. Gill, Cottrell, overseas donors, not declaring his income (nothing in the MPs register of interests since May). Who is paying for his £1 million a year security? Who has been paying for his recent trips to the USA?

Byline Times piece:

‘Thick as Thieves’: Nathan Gill and Nigel Farage’s Putin Problem

bylinetimes.com/2025/10/04/thick-as-thieves-nathan-gill-and-nigel-farages-putin-problem/

Tweet of the day from musician Tanita Tikaram:

At this point Nigel Farage could appear in an interview in a KGB uniform & the British media would go ‘ No nothing to see here, let’s talk about Angela Rayner’s Eccles Cakes.

I live in Kent and was amused by the rhetoric from the Reform group about the massive savings they would make by cutting waste and removing expensive DEI initiatives.
When in power they discovered - surprise, surprise, the previous Conservative team had cut all the waste, and there were no expensive DEI initiatives.
They did take down the flag of Ukraine, so perhaps that was sold on eBay.
I was angered to learn that they had sold off many works of art belonging to the people of Kent, not the Reform party, to raise a little cash, with no consultation with the owners - us.

PaynesGrey

Don McGowan’s substack piece on the DOGE nonsense.

donmcgowan333.substack.com/p/dolge?r=5wpi28&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

I see there has been a batch of Tory councillor defections to Reform today. Leaving one sinking ship for another or a Trojan horse.

I think the clouds are starting to gather over Farage e.g. Gill, Cottrell, overseas donors, not declaring his income (nothing in the MPs register of interests since May). Who is paying for his £1 million a year security? Who has been paying for his recent trips to the USA?

Byline Times piece:

‘Thick as Thieves’: Nathan Gill and Nigel Farage’s Putin Problem

bylinetimes.com/2025/10/04/thick-as-thieves-nathan-gill-and-nigel-farages-putin-problem/

Tweet of the day from musician Tanita Tikaram:

^At this point Nigel Farage could appear in an interview in a KGB uniform & the British media would go ‘ No nothing to see here, let’s talk about Angela Rayner’s Eccles Cakes.^

Farage is in court today I believe. Does anyone know what for?

Rosie51

Grantanow I think that's a lesson all the parties find (not the rioting, the mouthing off). Theory is a wonderful place where anything is possible, reality is quite another thing. I do feel for the people in Kent who fell for the hype, and even more so for those who didn't!

I live in Kent,please dont feel sorry for me, .i am glad they have taken control.

Ha! Not so easy is it.

MayBee70

PaynesGrey

Don McGowan’s substack piece on the DOGE nonsense.

donmcgowan333.substack.com/p/dolge?r=5wpi28&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

I see there has been a batch of Tory councillor defections to Reform today. Leaving one sinking ship for another or a Trojan horse.

I think the clouds are starting to gather over Farage e.g. Gill, Cottrell, overseas donors, not declaring his income (nothing in the MPs register of interests since May). Who is paying for his £1 million a year security? Who has been paying for his recent trips to the USA?

Byline Times piece:

‘Thick as Thieves’: Nathan Gill and Nigel Farage’s Putin Problem

bylinetimes.com/2025/10/04/thick-as-thieves-nathan-gill-and-nigel-farages-putin-problem/

Tweet of the day from musician Tanita Tikaram:

^At this point Nigel Farage could appear in an interview in a KGB uniform & the British media would go ‘ No nothing to see here, let’s talk about Angela Rayner’s Eccles Cakes.^

Farage is in court today I believe. Does anyone know what for?

He is in court for the trial of an asylum seeker who threatened to kill him on TikTok.

Mind you, he’s not against threatening violence himself is he? “Nigel Farage has said he would, “don khaki, pick up a rifle and head for the front lines” if Theresa May fails to deliver Brexit in the fashion he wants.

Addressing an audience at a £63 a head event in Southampton on Sunday, the former Ukip leader said that if Brexit was not delivered properly, "there will be widespread public anger in this country on a scale and in a way we have never seen before."

He added: "If that happens, much as I'm enjoying myself... I enjoy my trips to the States with Trump and the White House and everything else. I'm enjoying my life.”

That's an interesting quote MayBee70. Of course, Reform leaders don't riot: it's some of their supporters who do so.

Primrose53

MayBee70

PaynesGrey

Don McGowan’s substack piece on the DOGE nonsense.

donmcgowan333.substack.com/p/dolge?r=5wpi28&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

I see there has been a batch of Tory councillor defections to Reform today. Leaving one sinking ship for another or a Trojan horse.

I think the clouds are starting to gather over Farage e.g. Gill, Cottrell, overseas donors, not declaring his income (nothing in the MPs register of interests since May). Who is paying for his £1 million a year security? Who has been paying for his recent trips to the USA?

Byline Times piece:

‘Thick as Thieves’: Nathan Gill and Nigel Farage’s Putin Problem

bylinetimes.com/2025/10/04/thick-as-thieves-nathan-gill-and-nigel-farages-putin-problem/

Tweet of the day from musician Tanita Tikaram:

^At this point Nigel Farage could appear in an interview in a KGB uniform & the British media would go ‘ No nothing to see here, let’s talk about Angela Rayner’s Eccles Cakes.^

Farage is in court today I believe. Does anyone know what for?

He is in court for the trial of an asylum seeker who threatened to kill him on TikTok.

It’s rather a bizarre case. The accused actually sounds a bit deranged to me. Apparently he said he wanted to marry Farage’s sister Does F even have a sister?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyv6zd73jmzo

Too many people are not contributing financially to society outside of their own homes, and this has been the case for far too long.

It may have made sense immediately after the war for men to work and women to raise children; but for ages there have been people not paying tax but taking from the system. Now those people are drawing pensions, despite in many cases not having paid in. It just can’t go on.

There are also too many people working part-time and getting top ups from the government. Why should some work full time for the same money as others working half the hours?

The system has to skew in favour of working people- if it doesn’t they will simply stop being prepared to work and contribute so that others don’t have to.

Doodledog

Too many people are not contributing financially to society outside of their own homes, and this has been the case for far too long.

It may have made sense immediately after the war for men to work and women to raise children; but for ages there have been people not paying tax but taking from the system. Now those people are drawing pensions, despite in many cases not having paid in. It just can’t go on.

There are also too many people working part-time and getting top ups from the government. Why should some work full time for the same money as others working half the hours?

The system has to skew in favour of working people- if it doesn’t they will simply stop being prepared to work and contribute so that others don’t have to.

Many part time workers would like to work full time, but the full time jobs are not available. In many industries, service industries in particular the tax regime makes it advantagious for employers to have lots of part time workers rather than fewer full time workers.

In these days where every individual needs to work, many women, in particular are having to slot work around domestic responsibilities caring for children or disabled and/or elderly family members. In the past this was all done by the non-working adult in the family.

People's contribution to society cannot just be limited to money. If many people went back to work fulltime other people would need to be paid to look after children, disabled people and old and frail people. many people contribute to society by their unpaid work in the community and home.

For many people part time work is part of a route back to full time worke. I stayed at home an 'non-working' mother for seven years and then worked part time for 5 years when my children were small, returning to work full time when they were old enough. Any state pension I draw is based on the contributions I paid when I was working.

Is Kent County Council the one with spotty, clueless 18 year olds trying to run it ?

carryttr

I understand your point, but the situation is more complex than that. Many people who didn’t pay taxes may still have contributed to society in other ways — for example, unpaid caregiving, community work, or jobs that weren’t formally registered. Also, pension systems are supposed to support everyone in old age, not just those who had stable employment. The real issue is fixing the system so it’s fair and sustainable for future generations, not blaming specific groups. simownersdetails.pk/

As far as I know, the purpose of pension systems isn't set in stone anywhere. Most people paying into any kind of pension system think it's to support them in old age. What are they supposed to think if they know that those who aren't paying into the system will have the same entitlement anyway?