UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Reform UK’s effort to cut diversity roles meets facts: just 4.56 posts exist across 10 councils, with savings below 0.003% of their budgets.
As reported by The Guardian, Reform-run councils average fewer than one diversity role each, casting doubt on the party’s cost-cutting claims.
What did FOI reveal about Reform’s diversity job cuts?
Freedom of information data shows Reform UK’s 10 English councils employ just 4.56 full-time staff in equality and diversity roles. Statutory education roles, such as inclusion staff for pupils with disabilities, are not included.
At a £50,000 average salary, cutting every diversity role in Reform-led councils would reduce budgets by just 0.003%.
What did the Reform’s diversity cut plan save?
Reform UK secured over 760 seats in May’s local elections, taking control of 10 councils across England. At a victory rally, party leader Nigel Farage warned diversity officers in those councils should be “seeking alternative careers very, very quickly.”
Ahead of the elections, some Reform leaders promoted cutting diversity and inclusion roles as a cost-saving measure. They modelled their plans on Elon Musk’s U.S. initiative, the Doge department.
Where did Reform get its £7bn ‘woke’ spending figure?
Reform UK has repeatedly claimed that cutting central government diversity schemes could save £7bn a year. But official figures show just £27m was spent in 2022–23.
Reform UK cited a 2022 report by the Conservative Way Forward thinktank to justify its £7bn savings claim. The estimate also included funding for bodies and organisations it described as “woke.”
What did Zia Yusuf say about hidden equality roles?
Zia Yusuf, speaking to the BBC after the local elections, gave a vague response when asked how much could be saved by cutting council diversity roles.
He claimed some councils may be “hiding” inclusion roles by assigning them to “other people who have basically that same job but under a different title.”
Mr Yusuf stepped down as Reform chair last month after a row over an MP’s call to ban burqas. Just two days later, he rejoined the party to lead its self-styled “Doge” cost-cutting team.
He has largely avoided addressing equality issues since taking charge of Reform’s “Doge” unit. His only comment praised Durham for removing terms like “climate change” and “inclusion” from department titles, despite their diversity roles being legally required.
Last month, Mr Yusuf said Reform-run Kent council was spending £90m a year on recruitment services, roughly 22% of its annual payroll.
Which councils are run by Reform UK?
Councils currently controlled by Reform UK:
- Derbyshire
- Doncaster
- Durham
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Lincolnshire
- North Northamptonshire
- Nottinghamshire
- Staffordshire
- West Northamptonshire
What did Amanda Hopgood say about Reform’s Doge plan?
Amanda Hopgood, who leads Durham’s Lib Dem opposition and chairs its “Reform Watch” group, said,
“Reform’s Doge programme makes a mockery of what it is supposed to achieve. They are more concerned with stoking division than actually saving councils any money.”
What did Nigel Farage say about the launch of Doge?
Nigel Farage said everyone involved in Doge was volunteering their time.
He said,
“The Doge team has gone into County Hall in Maidstone in Kent this very morning, a team of young tech entrepreneurs who are not being paid. They’re doing it of their own free will, and we’re going in to have a look at Kent, have a look at the contracts, to have a look at the expenditure.”
Mr Farage added,
“We hope that the Kent chief executive and the council will work with us because, of course, many of the decisions – decisions on spending – would have been political decisions. No, Doge is active, up and running as we speak.”
What did John Merry say about Reform’s Doge plan?
John Merry, deputy mayor of Salford and chair of the Key Cities group, said Doge was “absolutely the last thing local authorities need right now.”
He added,
“I hear daily from members facing mounting pressures across vital services like Send [special educational needs and disabilities], social care and homelessness. In this context, it is difficult to see how Reform’s Doge initiative offers any meaningful solution. What councils need now is not inefficient cost-cutting at the margins, but a serious commitment to long-term funding reform – one that aligns grant allocation with local needs and supports a resilient foundation for economic growth.”
Reform UK’s Doge plan
- Doge is based on Elon Musk’s U.S. audit model, using AI and data to cut council waste, starting in Kent.
- Reform says council staff blocking Doge checks could face “gross misconduct” charges.
- Doge suggests stopping net-zero work, office moves, and cutting allowances.