Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, has unveiled plans to reduce local authority pensions in the 10 councils now controlled by the party.
Citing Elon Musk’s Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as inspiration, the multi-millionaire took aim at pensions for new staff: telling the Telegraph that staff on existing contracts would be given lower pay rises to cover the cost of funding their retirement, adding “we’re going to have to go to war with these people”.
Firefighters' pensions fall under local authority schemes, and the FBU has described this as “an assault on the pensions of firefighters and council workers” with “councils run by Reform UK intend[ing] to cut the final salary pension schemes that firefighters have already paid into.”
Reform UK won control of 10 local councils in the May local elections this year, promising to slash council spending in Durham, Doncaster, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, North Northamptonshire, West Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Kent.
