A secret strategy document is reportedly being shared among council staff in areas now controlled by Reform UK, as officers brace themselves for instability, budget disputes and pressure to abandon existing policies.
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The leaked briefing, seen by The Tempest Portal, is said to have been circulated among officers working across the 14 councils taken by Reform in this year’s local elections.
Its message is stark: council professionals should be prepared for sudden reversals, external political pressure and instructions that may come from far beyond the town hall.
According to the paper, decisions in some Reform-run authorities on council tax, flag policies, cabinet responsibilities and public statements have not always come directly from elected local leaders.
Instead, the document claims, guidance has at times been driven by national party advisers, MPs or social media messages from senior Reform figures.
The briefing reportedly warns that inexperienced council leaders can feel compelled to follow central party instructions, even though local authorities are legally independent and must make decisions according to their own statutory duties.
Staff warned to prepare for instability
The document is understood to draw on the experiences of officers in 10 councils that Reform previously took control of.
It warns that some authorities could face an exodus of experienced employees as political tensions grow and major structural changes hit local government.
But it also sets out ways council officers may be able to protect projects that Reform administrations have pledged to cut.
Behind the scenes, staff are reportedly being advised to reframe controversial policy areas using language more acceptable to Reform councillors.
Climate change schemes, for example, could be presented as environmental stewardship, resilience or flood prevention.
Net Zero initiatives could be described as environmental maintenance, while diversity and equality programmes may be repackaged as fairness or community cohesion.
The goal, according to the briefing, is not to mislead elected members, but to ensure legally required and locally beneficial work does not disappear simply because certain terms have become politically toxic.
In one striking example, the paper claims that a Reform-controlled council ultimately delivered more environmental work than previous administrations after officers adopted this approach.
Council reportedly resisted pressure over tax cuts
The alleged briefing also points to a confrontation over council tax.
One local leadership team is said to have resisted pressure from Reform headquarters to cut council tax below what officers considered financially sustainable.
The council stood firm, the document claims, and was ultimately respected for doing so.
The paper reportedly warns that tensions are now emerging not only between Reform-run councils and other local bodies, but also within Reform administrations themselves.
It claims some councillors are beginning to find that promises made at national level do not always align with the financial and legal realities facing their own communities.
The briefing states: “Instability is common,” before warning officers that a decision agreed during the week may suddenly change following contact with national party figures over the weekend.
