Secret battle plans drawn up by council employees as they warn of Reform UK chaos
A document shared among council officers in Reform UK-controlled local authorities has set out tips to defend services from cuts and chaos as bosses stand firm
A secret document shares tips for dealing with Reform’s new councillors(Image: Getty Images)
Secret battle plans have been drawn up by council officers in areas now controlled by Reform UK to defend services from cuts and chaos.
Staff in the 14 councils that fell to Reform in this year’s local elections have been circulating a confidential briefing. The leaked paper, seen by The Mirror, claims that in some Reform controlled areas, directions on council tax levels, flag policies, councillors’ portfolios and public statements have “originated not from elected local leaders, but from national party advisers, MPs, or social media directives from central party figures”.
It states: “Inexperienced local leaders often feel obliged to comply with national party instruction, unaware that they are legally independent.”
The report draws on the insights and experiences of officers in the 10 councils Reform took control of last year. It warns of an exodus of staff – but pointed to examples where careful management has saved council programmes the party has tried to scrap.
READ MORE: Andy Burnham sets out battle line over Brexit after Wes Streeting’s rejoin EU callREAD MORE: Labour live: Starmer rejects calls to set out timetable to stand down if Burnham becomes MP
Behind the scenes, some staff are even preparing to quietly rebrand policies such as Net Zero and equalities work using less politically-charged language in an effort to keep projects alive.
Officers are advised to reframe climate, equality and transport policies in language that Reform administrations can publicly support – without abandoning the underlying work. “Climate change” becomes “environmental stewardship” or “resilience”. Net Zero programmes are rebadged as flood prevention or environmental maintenance. DEI work becomes “fairness” or “community cohesion”.
According to the paper, one Reform council ended up delivering more environmental work than under any previous administration thanks to this approach.
And it says one council leadership team reportedly “stood firm” after Reform headquarters pressured the administration to reduce council tax “below a financially sustainable level”.
“The result was robust and earned the council respect,” the document says. The paper claims that “tensions” are arising across different tiers of local government, such as between county councils and mayors, leaders and backbenchers, and “increasingly within administrations themselves as members; loyalty to local community interests diverges from national party messaging”.
“Instability is common,” it continues. “Expect the possibility that decisions agreed mid-week will shift after a national call at the weekend.”
The campaign pledges that Reform’s administrations ushered in last year, such as “zero council tax rises”, “stripping out” DEI policies, “ending Net Zero spending” and clamping down on working from home were “hit quickly” by “governing reality”.
“Council tax is capped by law,” it states. “Statutory duties apply to all councils regardless of political composition. Budget gaps do not close through ideology. Planning decisions must follow process.”
Senior staff are advised to “share intelligence” and “record advice meticulously”. “Note when and how direction changes,” it states. “If a decision is made against officer advice, ensure that is documented. Protect your governance trail; it will matter.”
It goes on: “When a member behaves inappropriately, act on it visibly. Professionalism, dignity and safety at work are non-negotiable — regardless of political preference.”
Many local government staff were understood to be deeply uneasy about Reform taking control because its senior party figures have frequently portrayed public-sector bureaucrats as their adversaries.
At Reform’s conference last year, Greater Lincolnshire mayor Andrea Jenkyns publicly praised fellow mayor Luke Campbell for cutting around a dozen jobs at the Hull and East Yorkshire combined authority within months of taking office.
“Hats off to Luke,” she told delegates. One senior council director told the Mirror morale at their authority had hit “rock bottom” since Reform’s election victory last week.
The concerns come as councils are already grappling with one of the biggest restructuring shake-ups in local government history.
Twenty county areas are currently undergoing reorganisation, with county, borough and district councils set to be abolished and replaced by new unitary authorities. Around a third of those areas are now under Reform control.
Hundreds of officers are expected to lose their jobs during the reorganisation process and some officials in Reform-run areas are already jumping ship early, which is adding to the sense of instability in the sector.
The paper predicts some staff will resign “even where their jobs are not at risk, because they cannot tolerate the political environment”. It describes that as “a legitimate response to a real situation”.
One of the most striking features of this year’s local elections was the rise in councils under no overall control. Around 42 per cent of English councils now lack a single-party majority.
The paper claims Reform councillors have often behaved obstructively in opposition rather than working cooperatively with rival parties.
In several hung councils, it says, Reform members were told not to attend development days or workshops and instructed to “act as disruptors” on committees and outside bodies.
