Reform says ‘no cost-cutting’ in bid to save £44 million
The Reform Nottinghamshire County Council says cost-cutting is not part of its plan to find £44 million across the authority's services.
Shortly after winning the 2025 local elections to take control of the authority, Reform announced it would be embarking on its own efficiency review to find savings across the council and its services.
The party’s US and Elon Musk-inspired Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – which looks at reducing government spending – was originally going to be tasked with helping the council in this review but so far, it has not been involved.
In late February, Reform passed its first budget at the County Council, indicating its broader financial plan for the next three years. It also included the £44.2 million of ‘efficiences’ the authority needs to find within three years.
Over the next three years, the group plans on saving £21.3 million in adult social care, £17.52 million in the children and families department and £2.75 million in SEND transport, £1 million in a contract cost for the council’s highways organisation, Via, £900,000 in home to school transport, £653,000 in Education and SEND and £89,000 in social work staffing.
Criticism has been brewing for the ambitious savings plan, given little detail has been published on exactly where these savings will be made or on any progress.
Conservative opposition leader, Councillor Sam Smith, previously told the local democracy reporting service (LDRS) he thought the savings plan was “completely built on sand” and received nothing when he asked the leader for a report on the savings.
The LDRS asked the leader and other senior councillors on Friday (February 27th) for more details on the savings plan.
The authority’s leader, Mick Barton (Ref), told the LDRS said “we can categorically say we’re not doing any cost-cutting” in relation to service cuts.
Coun Bert Bingham, cabinet member for highways, said: “‘Efficiency’ is a more efficient way of investing and deploying your resources.”
Responding to the criticism of limited detail, Coun Barton said: “They’ll have to wait. They can criticise at the end of this financial year if we don’t make them savings.”
The leader listed off some of the savings already identified, including a £2.3 million saving by changing post-16 school transport to direct travel assistance payments and cutting post-16 Catholic school transport, which would save £170,000.
Other savings include £208,000 by changing pre-16 school transport to a direct travel assistance payment and an “improved software scheme” bringing in a £102,000 saving.
Coun Stuart Matthews, cabinet member for finance, added: “These are not what Reform have gone marching in to do – these have all come from (council) officers.”
The authority’s budget for 2026/27 sees an overall spending increase of £138 million, a 3.99 per cent hike in council tax, a £73 million investment highways and £76 million going into education and SEND.