In February 2026, Reform UK delivered its first budget at Lancashire County Council. After ten months of forensic work, the numbers tell a story that no amount of spin can rewrite.
Council Tax: A Decade of Rises
Ten years. Three administrations. One clear picture.
under 7 Conservative budgets
under Reform's first budget
Labour’s last budget set Band D at £1,222. Over the next seven Conservative budgets, it rose to £1,653: an extra £432 per household, a 35% increase. They never once went below 3.99%, and hit 5.99% in their first full year.
Reform’s first budget set council tax at 3.80%. The lowest rise in a decade.
Inheriting a £28 Million Overspend
When Reform took control in May 2025, the council was forecasting a £28 million overspend for 2024/25. This wasn’t a one-off. It was the result of years of inadequate financial management and a savings programme that had collapsed from 91% delivery down to just 48%.
Through targeted mitigation: renegotiating contracts, closing unnecessary vacancies, challenging poor procurement, the overspend has been cut from £28 million to £6.1 million and falling. Not a single care home closed. Not a single library shut. Not a single front-line service cut.
The £62 Million Savings Programme
Reform’s budget identifies £62 million in savings, approximately 5% of the net revenue budget. This is being delivered through:
- Contract renegotiation: challenging legacy deals that delivered poor value
- Vacancy management: not filling roles that weren’t delivering for residents
- Procurement reform: introducing proper competition where cosy supplier relationships had gone unchallenged
- Efficiency drives: doing more with less across back-office functions
- Duplicate elimination: identifying and stopping payments that were being made twice
The Conservative administration’s savings delivery had collapsed to 48%. Reform is targeting above 90%. Final realisation figures will be confirmed at year-end.
Five Care Homes: Saved
The previous administration had launched a consultation to close five county care homes. For the families of residents in those homes, this wasn’t a budget line. It was a threat to their loved ones’ safety and dignity.
Pension Fund Abuse: Stopped
Under the previous administration, councillors serving as pension fund directors received additional salaries on top of their councillor allowances. Reform ended this practice immediately. If you’re elected to serve the public, you serve the public. You don’t collect extra pay from funds that belong to council workers.
What the Conservatives Left Behind
What Comes Next
This budget is the foundation, not the finish line. In the coming year, Reform will:
- Continue driving down the overspend towards zero
- Deliver the £62M savings programme with rigorous tracking
- Prepare for Local Government Reorganisation. If approved, Lancashire’s 15 councils could merge into new unitary authorities by April 2028, with estimated net savings of £79.4 million per year
- Maintain the lowest possible council tax while protecting services
- Publish transparent financial reporting so residents can see exactly where their money goes
Lancashire voted for change. This budget is proof that change is being delivered.