Nigel Farage Warns of Cost Cuts as Reform UK Targets Havering Council in Upcoming Elections
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has declared that his party would "attempt" not to borrow additional funds if it gains control of financially troubled Havering Council in the upcoming May elections. The borough council is projected to end the current financial year with a staggering £72 million overspend and will likely require a substantial government loan to balance its books.
Mounting Debt Crisis in Havering
The financial situation in Havering has been deteriorating rapidly. Last year, the council was forced to borrow £88 million from Westminster to cover its deficit, following a £72.5 million loan the previous year. Early projections suggest the council's debt could reach an eye-watering £300 million by 2029, creating a severe fiscal challenge for any incoming administration.
Clacton MP Nigel Farage told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We would attempt not to borrow any further, but you can't just walk in and turn something around overnight. What you can do is make cost cuts, what you can do is try and become more efficient. I don't think anyone's going to pretend that turning around councils like this is going to be easy. It isn't."
Farage added pointedly: "What we can do is do our best - we'd struggle to do worse, I'd certainly say that."
Controversial Cuts and Growing Pressures
The current Havering Residents Association (HRA) administration has already implemented controversial cost-cutting measures over the past year. The closure of four libraries across the borough prompted local protests and a cross-party effort to keep them open, highlighting the difficult choices facing council leadership.
However, HRA officials have emphasized that the primary strains on the council budget come from temporary housing costs and social care expenditures. These two areas currently account for 80 percent of Havering's spending, with costs growing exponentially over the past two years.
Farage acknowledged these systemic pressures: "The trouble is the pressure on local governments: the social care costs, the [special educational needs] costs. [They are] a massive problem – not just in Havering, but throughout local government right throughout the whole country."
Political Shifts and Election Strategy
Nigel Farage made these comments ahead of a major rally in Romford where Romford MP Andrew Rosindell – who defected from the Conservatives last month – pledged a referendum on Havering leaving Greater London. During a brief event outside Havering Town Hall, Farage welcomed councillors Christine Vickery and Robert Benham, who have now defected from the Conservative Party to join Reform UK.
Havering is believed to be one of Reform UK's main London targets in the upcoming May elections, alongside Bexley, Bromley, and Hillingdon. The party sees the borough's financial crisis and political realignment as creating an opportunity to make significant gains in local government.
The combination of severe budget pressures, controversial service reductions, and shifting political loyalties sets the stage for a potentially transformative election in Havering this spring, with Reform UK positioning itself as an alternative to traditional parties in managing the council's deepening financial crisis.
