Reform UK has announced plans to scrap electric vehicle targets in Kent as part of its mission to slash spending.
The new leader of Kent County Council has pledged to eliminate £7.5million in funding by the end of the decade that was earmarked for EVs.
Original plans stated that Kent County Council would transition all of its vehicle fleet to electric by 2030.
A spokesperson for KCC stated that it had only transitioned six of its electric vans so far, despite having 116 vans in total.
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Reform UK have slashed net zero pledges in Kent, including the transition to electric vehicles
More than 230 other vehicles, which are leased, are not electric, as Reform UK looks to save money and axe any net zero pledges.
Reform UK secured 37 per cent of the votes on May 1, 2025, returning an impressive 57 seats.
The Conservatives saw their number of seats plummet from 62 in 2021 to just five, losing control of the council for the first time since 1993.
Reform UK dominated the vote, with the Liberal Democrats winning 12 seats, while the Green Party secured five seats and Labour returned two.
Around £7.5million was earmarked by Kent County Council to transition its fleet to electric
Linden Kemkaran, the leader of Kent County Council, said her team had been working with Reform UK’s DOLGE (Department of Local Government Efficiency) team to make cuts.
She said the funding cuts were identified alongside essential training and people getting used to their new jobs in “just a short few weeks”.
Kemkaran added: “I want the Government to either make faster decisions or fund us properly to deal with the implications of their delays.
“By my reckoning, they already owe us some £200,000 and I would like it back.”
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Additional cuts include £32million by scrapping the Net Zero Renewable Energy Programme, which helps people modify their properties.
The party claimed that it would also save £180,000 by “giving notice on unnecessary memberships and subscriptions”.
Councillor Kemkaran continued, saying: “Since we took office in May, the level of debt has reduced by some £16million, a saving of £2,000 per day in interest payments alone.
“Our ‘no more borrowing’ policy will reduce debt by over £33million by next March.”
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Council leader Linden Kemkaran pledged to make further savings alongside its DOLGE team
Kemkaran also highlighted how she had hiked the highways capital budget to £79.3million, with £6million dedicated to large road patching to fill potholes.
As part of its national manifesto prior to the general election last year, Reform UK outlined a number of transport policies, which some deemed to be controversial.
This included “scrapping net zero”, which it claimed would save the public sector over £30billion per year for the next 25 years.
It also pledged to scrap the ban on new petrol and diesel sales, in addition to removing the legal requirement for manufacturers to sell electric cars.