Reform UK accused of ‘empty rhetoric’ over plan to hike council tax 5% in Derbyshire

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Neha Gohil Midlands correspondentJanuary 5, 2026 at 06:46 PM

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Reform UK, despite election promises to cut taxes, is planning to raise council tax by the maximum 5% in Derbyshire county council. The increase is due to a £38m budget gap caused by overspending in social care, inflation, rising demand, and changes to government funding. Derbyshire is one of four Reform-led councils proposing the maximum council tax rise, with others potentially following suit. The council tax increase, expected to generate £29m, will coincide with £22m in cuts. Opposition councillors are criticizing Reform UK for "empty rhetoric," pointing out the broken promise to reduce taxes. The council blames the government's new funding formula for contributing to budgetary pressures.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Gez Kinsella 40% Lancashire 40% Kent County Council 40% Warwickshire 40% West Northamptonshire 50% Leicestershire County Council 50% Alex Dale 50% North Northamptonshire 50% Alan Graves 60% Derbyshire County Council ×270% Derbyshire ×480% Reform UK ×590%

Keywords

council tax 100% reform uk 90% local authority 80% budget cuts 70% derbyshire county council 70% empty rhetoric 60% budget gap 60% local election 50% funding formula 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.60

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Derbyshire

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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council tax reform uk local authority budget cuts derbyshire county council empty rhetoric budget gap local election funding formula

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