We must not underestimate the threat of Reform, even at local authority level

The May 2026 local elections in England saw sweeping gains for the far-right Reform UK. Whilst it could be tempting to dismiss these results for being limited to the council level, the will nevertheless have a massive effect on vulnerable groups in our society. That applies both in terms of Reform’s power and the politics it normalises.

The Canary’s HG, wrote that:

The reality is that we now have a bunch of men and women across the country wearing light blue who will show up to work tomorrow thinking they have a say in ‘closing the borders’ and ‘stopping the boats’.

They’re in for a nasty surprise tomorrow when they realise the things in their control amount to bin collections and potholes. The only thing they’re stopping is traffic with ‘temporary’ roadworks.

Thank fuck that Reform is in charge of budgets for bins, potholes and planning permission, rather than the UK’s defence budget, international relations and our beloved NHS.

However, this isn’t to say that we can disregard the impact of local policy. Local government holds immense power over our daily lives, and that applies twofold for the more vulnerable among us. These people are in very real danger from the far-right scum who now sit in their town halls.

Reform are racism and white supremacy

Back in March, a Hope Not Hate report exposed the fact that over half of Reform members want UK citizens who weren’t born here out of the country. 30% of Reform members think that only if the individual in question is Black or brown. For 15%, that same sentiment also applies to second-generation Black and brown citizens.

That’s white ethnonationalism, plain and simple. Couple that with the fact that newly elected Reform councillors  have spouted bile like stating that “the Hallocaust [sic] is a hoax”, calling Muslims “pure scum”, saying Nigerians should be melted down to “fill in the potholes”, and celebrating the rape of a Sikh woman.

As such, we at the Canary have no problem calling Reform and its supporters ‘white supremacists’. Given the clear backing for such a racist party, and the rhetoric its MPs and councillors have normalised, it’s no surprise that ethnic minority groups are bracing themselves for a yet-further rise in racism.

For example, Oxford-based anti-racism campaigner Shaista Aziz told the Guardian that: 

Many British Muslim communities feel scared and intimidated by the Reform victories and also feel sad that their neighbours have voted for a party that openly calls for the deportation of members of our communities and can’t call out their councillors for their deeply racist rhetoric.

Likewise,  regarding the slew of new Reform councillors in Birmingham, Muslim Women’s Network chair Shaista Gohir asked:

What does that mean for [communities] in terms of our safety, the quality of services that we’re going to receive? Is anti-Muslim rhetoric going to really escalate locally? There is a lot of concern.

A threat in local government

Beyond the racism and Islamophobia they stoke, the victims of Reform councils are often older or disabled people, or vulnerable children who rely on local support. For them, and their counterparts in the other new Reform areas across England, the power of Reform councillors has devastating consequences.

As an example, take the existing Reform council in Kent. Despite pledging to find £40m in potential savings, the council actually increased the budget overspend to £46.5m. Likewise, in defiance of its earlier promises, the council also hiked council tax by 4%.

One senior local cabinet member complained that:

Everyone thought we’d come in and there was going to be these huge costs we could cut away, but there just aren’t.

On the contrary, the Reformers found that just 1.2% of their budget went to head off costs. Meanwhile, 71.6% goes to statutory adult and children’s social care. However, the Socialist Worker reported that

Nevertheless, Reform UK found some “unnecessary” spending. It cut £1.2 million from fostering services and £700,000 from fostering for children with disabilities.

Likewise, the Conversation reported similar stories elsewhere:

In Derbyshire, the Reform-led council’s plan to shut eight care homes was called a “betrayal of local people”. Similar plans in Lancashire entailed the closure of five public care homes as well as five day centres, with residents moved to the private sector.

What is striking is not just the direction of policy, but also the political reaction to it. The privatisation plans in Lancashire were eventually abandoned due to strong local opposition, which came not only from rival parties, but also from Reform grassroots members.

Moving forward together

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage himself appeared on BBC Radio Sussex in April to call adult social care bill “enormous” and a “huge burden” on local councils. He was brazen about the fact that Reform has no real plan for the service, but said that it was “looking at radical options”.

So yes – last week’s local elections aren’t the same as the far-right party gaining control of parliament. However, the new rise of local authorities in Reform’s clutches still spells disaster for many of the most vulnerable among us.

This party’s rhetoric is dangerous. Its actions and its supporters are a threat, both at the local and national level. Over the coming years, we must ensure that we do not leave behind the marginalised communities who are living under the greatest risk precisely because of their reliance on local care and support.

Featured image via the Canary