Reform UK Councils Save Little with Diversity Cuts, FOI Data Reveals

Councils controlled by Reform UK employ fewer than 0.5 diversity and equality staff on average, casting doubt on the party’s claim that scrapping such roles would lead to major cost savings.

Freedom of information requests show the 10 Reform-led councils in England collectively have just 4.56 full-time equivalent (FTE) equality and diversity positions—excluding legally mandated roles, such as those supporting disabled students in education.

Even assuming each role paid £50,000 a year, eliminating all of them would reduce council spending by less than 0.003% of their combined budgets.

In May’s local elections, Reform UK secured over 670 seats and gained control of 10 councils. At a victory rally, party leader Nigel Farage declared that staff in diversity roles “better really be seeking alternative careers very, very quickly.”

Before the elections, Farage and other Reform figures claimed cutting diversity and inclusion spending could yield significant savings, citing Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” in the U.S. as inspiration.

They frequently referenced a £7bn potential saving—based on a 2022 estimate by the right-wing think tank Conservative Way Forward. However, official figures show the actual 2022–23 government spending on such programmes was just £27 million. The think tank’s £7bn calculation included spending by charities and public bodies engaged in activities it labelled “woke.”

When asked by the BBC after the elections how much could actually be saved by cutting council diversity efforts, Reform’s then-chair Zia Yusuf was vague. He suggested some councils were disguising diversity roles under different job titles.

Yusuf stepped down last month amid controversy over a Reform MP’s call to ban burqas. Days later, he rejoined the party to lead its internal “Doge” team focused on finding council savings.

Since his return, Yusuf has said little about diversity roles, though he did praise Durham council—one of the councils now under Reform control—for renaming departments to remove references to climate and equality. Durham employs 1.8 diversity FTEs, all of which the council says are legally required.

In June, Yusuf also claimed Kent council was spending nearly £90m annually on a recruitment services contract—22% of its total payroll. In reality, this was a public sector recruitment framework operated by Kent, not an individual council contract. Critics argued this showed Yusuf misunderstood how public procurement systems work.

Experts note that most council budgets are dominated by statutory obligations such as adult social care and children's services, leaving little room for discretionary cuts.

Reform UK declined to comment. The 10 councils it now runs are Derbyshire, Doncaster, Durham, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, and West Northamptonshire.

Amanda Hopgood, the Liberal Democrat opposition leader on Durham council and head of her party’s “Reform watch” group, said: “Reform’s Doge programme makes a mockery of what it’s meant to do. They’re more focused on stoking division than delivering real savings.”