Election spat over Reform debt claim

A Reform UK election leaflet claiming Dudley Council is £652m in debt has been dismissed as misguided by the authority’s leader.

The leaflet, which was produced by researchers at Reform headquarters, uses data published by the government on local government finance. It was published online by the party’s candidate for the Wordsley North ward in local elections on May 7, Samuel Hussey.

In a social media post of the leaflet, Mr Hussey said: “A Tory dominated chamber has been a disaster for Dudley Council.

“Potholes, bins not emptied, local greenbelts under attack and council tax skyrocketing all whilst sitting councillors do nothing.”

The council is run by a minority Conservative administration, its leader, Cllr Patrick Harley pointed out much of the figure is borrowing over decades to fund large capital projects linked to specific ring-fenced areas of funding.

Cllr Harley said: “This is the long-term borrowing which all councils use to plan long-term projects and borrowing. 

“It’s down from over £800m several years ago. Some of this will date back almost 40 years so his comments are misguided and it’s clear he doesn’t understand local government finance.

“Local authorities are permitted to borrow to support capital expenditure, including housing, highways and schools. 

“The council operates within statutory financial codes and we regularly assess the affordability of borrowing to ensure we can achieve a balanced budget, while continuing to invest in essential infrastructure and services for Dudley residents.”

Reform UK however is unapologetic about using the total borrowing figure to bash the current administration.

Cllr Shaun Keasey, leader of the Reform group on Dudley Council, said: “The figure on the leaflet is Dudley Council’s total borrowing, and that is a matter of public record.

“Yes, that includes borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board to fund major projects but let’s be clear: that money still has to be paid back by local taxpayers, with interest.

“Residents don’t experience ‘technical definitions,’ they experience the consequences. Higher costs, tighter budgets, and financial pressure all come from that overall level of borrowing.

“So we make no apology for highlighting the full scale of the council’s debt because people deserve to know the true financial position.” 

In the 2026 budget Dudley Council increased council tax by 4.99 percent, which was unchanged with the previous year and, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, is the same as 246 other local authorities in England.

Cllr Harley has also committed to a policy of no building on greenbelt land in the borough.

He said: “We have all got to pull together – whoever is the government of the day trying to force us to build on green belt, we have got to be united and try to stop them for as long as we can.