Leader of the Conservative Opposition on Worcestershire County Council, Cllr Adam Kent, said:
If Reform can't run Worcestershire, how can they run Britain?
Before you read this, ask yourself one question:
Did you vote for higher taxes, chaos in leadership, and a council Nigel Farage now says he wishes Reform had never taken control of?
Because that is exactly where Worcestershire finds itself today.
Nigel Farage has finally said out loud what many people in Worcestershire already know.
He now claims Reform “wishes it hadn’t bothered” taking control of Worcestershire County Council because of the financial pressures the authority faces.
Let that sink in.
The leader of the party that fought the election claiming it would “fix broken councils” is now effectively saying that governing one is simply too difficult.
This is extraordinary from a man who wants to run the entire country.
Campaign slogans collapse when reality arrives
Reform stood on a simple platform:
- Cut waste
- Reduce taxes
Yet, under Reform’s leadership, Worcestershire residents have been hit with one of the largest council tax increases in the country — around 9%.
So the promise was lower taxes.
The reality is higher taxes.
And now Nigel Farage is trying to pretend he never said taxes would be cut.
The public are not stupid.
The leaflets still exist.
“Basket case” insults to Worcestershire residents
Farage has also described Worcestershire as a “basket case” financially.
For someone whose party claims to represent ordinary people, it is remarkable how casually he insults the very communities that elected his councillors.
Worcestershire is not a basket case.
It is a county of hardworking residents, businesses and communities who deserve leadership — not excuses.
Reform’s answer: blame everyone else
The Reform administration’s explanation for its failures has been predictable:
- Blame the previous administration
- Blame the government
- Blame officers
- Blame anyone except themselves
But here’s the inconvenient truth.
Several of the Reform leadership were members of the previous Conservative administration themselves before switching parties shortly before the election.
The current council leader was a Conservative councillor until March 2025, deselected by the Conservatives as not good enough, through opportunism and leaflet lies they then find themselves leading a £bn organisation a few weeks later.
It’s like taking your local park team coach and asking them to manage Real Madrid!
So when Reform claim they inherited a mess…
they are effectively blaming themselves.
A council running on confusion and infighting
Since taking power, the Reform administration has been defined by confusion and division.
- Their Deputy Leader resigned publicly, citing lack of action and cabinet disunity
- Budget decisions appear rushed and poorly scrutinised
- Cabinet meetings lasting minutes have replaced the multi-day scrutiny previous administrations applied
- Savings have not been identified or agreed
Under the Conservative administration, budget setting involved days of detailed work going through every line of expenditure to find savings while protecting services.
That is what responsible administration looks like.
The reality Reform has discovered
Running a council is not the same as shouting slogans.
It involves difficult decisions about social care, children’s services, infrastructure and finances.
In Worcestershire, major pressures come from SEND and children and adult social care, challenges affecting councils across the country.
Serious politicians work on solutions.
Populists complain when reality arrives.
Farage’s problem with governing
Nigel Farage has built a political career criticising others from the sidelines.
But the moment Reform has to actually run something — even a single county council — the narrative changes from:
“We’ll fix it.”
to
“We wish we hadn’t bothered.”
That tells you everything.
A warning for the country
If Reform cannot manage running Worcestershire County Council without:
- Breaking tax promises
- Blaming everyone else
- Complaining the job is too difficult
then voters should ask a very simple question.
If this is how Reform behave running one council…
what would happen if they ran the country?
Because governing requires:
- Hard work
- Competence
- Responsibility
Not slogans.
Not excuses.
And certainly not regret that you won.
