In the third edition of Inside Reform, we analyse the 10 councils where Reform UK holds majority control and the three further councils it leads in a minority, for a six month review of what the party has done in power with its largest ever foothold in local government.

When Reform UK swept into local government earlier this year, Nigel Farage promised a “revolution in efficiency.” Councils under Reform control were to prove that an insurgent party could govern better, cheaper, and faster, a “shop window” for national credibility.

Six months on, that promise is being tested. Across key counties, from Kent to Cornwall and Northamptonshire, Reform’s bold pledges to cut waste, streamline bureaucracy, and deliver visible savings are colliding with the fiscal and legal realities of running local authorities.

Our latest analysis looks at what Reform said it would do, and what has actually happened. From efforts to rein in spending through new “waste-busting” delivery units, to controversies over planning decisions and council tax, early lessons are emerging about the party’s governing instincts.

We explore how the realities of statutory duties and budget constraints are shaping Reform’s approach to local decision-making, and what that could signal for any future attempt to scale its model nationally.

This edition also charts how Reform’s local experiments are being used to test its broader political narrative, projecting competence, discipline and “common-sense” government as the party seeks to cement its position as a credible alternative to the establishment parties.