The Dame has studied Kensington and Chelsea Council over many years. She has seen it in the bad days with Merrick Cockell and its resurgence with a far higher quality of leadership. Johnny Thalaasites, Sof McVeigh, Cem Kemahli, Emma Will and Kim Taylor-Smith have proven not just competent but hard working. The Dame does praise lightly but we get our money’s worth from them.
However, in difficult times people are tempted to rush toward anyone who promises easy, happy outcomes. Reform will make all these promises but the question we must ask is simple: can Reform be trusted to run this council?
In the Dame’s view, the answer is a resounding no.
Reform’s record of running local councils so far is dire. No one can accuse the Dame of being soft on K&C councillors—she has repeatedly called out poor decision-making when she sees it. But she is also a realist. Replacing the current leadership with political unknowns is a recipe for chaos, not reform.
Meanwhile, Joe Powell remains utterly silent on Labour’s grossly unfair so-called “fair funding” settlement, which strips money from K&C residents to subsidise other parts of the country. The council could try to sugar the pill by dipping into reserves, but that merely kicks the can down the road and leaves the bill for the next generation. The hard truth is that a 5% council tax rise is looming—and that responsibility lies squarely with a Labour government.
Over the next four years, K&C will lose £108 million—more than 50% of its controllable budget—at a time when pressures from temporary accommodation and social care are already severe.
Handing control to Reform would be as reckless as asking children to run a successful company. Failure would be swift and costly. Rob Wharton, Reform’s deputy leader in Worcestershire, is already contemplating a 10% council tax rise—a stark example of why people with no local government experience represent a clear and present danger to our finances.
This year alone, the council plans to cut £22 million from its budget, with over 100 staff leaving. Capital projects will be paused. Freezing council tax under these conditions is not honest governance—it would put essential services at risk, from street cleaning and bin collections to social care.
When the council can freeze council tax, it will—as it did in the first term. But under this Labour government, local hands are being tied.
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