Havering is believed to be one of Reform’s main London targets in the upcoming May elections
Reform would “attempt” not to borrow more if it took control of cash-strapped Havering Council, Nigel Farage says. The borough council is due to end the current financial year with a £72million overspend and will likely require a significant government loan to balance the books.
Last year, the council was forced to borrow £88m from Westminster to cover its deficit, and £72.5m the year before. The debt could reach an eyewatering £300m by 2029, according to early projections.
Clacton MP Farage told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We would attempt not to borrow any further, but you can’t just walk in and turn something around overnight.
“What you can do is make cost cuts, what you can do is try and become more efficient. I don’t think anyone’s going to pretend that turning around councils like this is going to be easy. It isn’t.”
He added: “What we can do is do our best – we’d struggle to do worse, I’d certainly say that.”
Cuts made by the current Havering Residents Association (HRA) administration over the past year have proven controversial. The closure of four libraries across the borough prompted local protests and a cross-party effort to keep them open.
HRA has warned, however, that the primary strains on the council are the costs of temporary housing and social care. They currently account for 80 per cent of Havering’s spending, and costs have grown exponentially over the past two years.
The Reform leader added: “The trouble is the pressure on local governments: the social care costs, the (special educational needs) costs. (They are) a massive problem – not just in Havering, but throughout local government right throughout the whole country.”
Nigel Farage was speaking ahead of a major rally in Romford which saw Romford MP Andrew Rosindell – who defected from the Conservatives last month – also pledge a referendum on Havering leaving Greater London.
At a brief event outside the town hall, Farage welcomed councillors Christine Vickery and Robert Benham, who have now defected from the Tories.
Havering is believed to be one of Reform’s main London targets in the upcoming elections in May, alongside Bexley, Bromley, and Hillingdon.
