Councillor Taylor leaves Reform over council tax hike

A Reform UK councillor for Redditch East in Worcestershire, has quit the party over plans to raise council tax, saying he cannot support the financial burden on residents. 

He announced on BBC Politics Midlands that he will now sit as an independent councillor.

Worcestershire County Council has warned it faces “effective bankruptcy” and has applied to the government to raise council tax by up to 10% from April.

Taylor described the council as failing with £600 million in debt and said the proposed tax increase would hit already struggling residents. “They’re going to pay more and receive less,” he said.

The local authority’s leader, Councillor Jo Monk, acknowledged the council’s financial crisis, warning a Section 114 notice effectively declaring bankruptcy might be needed.

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice added that Worcestershire’s finances were the worst among councils controlled by the party in England.

Taylor, who resigned as deputy leader of the council in August, cited other policy disagreements, including a proposed staff retention bonus of up to 10% of salaries, which he opposed. 

Reform UK said the bonus policy had been dropped and defended its approach, noting it inherited a council in financial crisis after years of Conservative mismanagement.

The council is also awaiting £71 million in Exceptional Financial Support from central government. Taylor said the party faced a difficult situation but argued better decisions could have been made earlier to ease the burden on residents.

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