A £1.4 million effort to find savings at Leicestershire County Council has been branded an "insult" to taxpayers.  

Opposition politicians say the authority's Reform UK leaders are "spending a fortune on consultants to tell them how to save money". 

The move has also been criticised as a "political stunt" which will "cost the taxpayer a lot of money".  

The Reform UK administration at County Hall last month signed off on the "top-to-bottom analysis of the authority's £1.3bn yearly spend" with consultant firm Newton contracted to carry it out. 

The "up to" £1.4 million cost was only made public yesterday (Tuesday, November 4), however, after long-running speculation over how much the authority would pay to identify savings.  

The county council currently needs to plug an expected £90 million gap in its day-to-day spending by 2029 in order to balance its books – something it is legally bound to do. It also has an £80 million shortfall in money set aside for projects and an £118 million deficit in its special needs budget. 

Councillor Harrison Fowler, the new Reform UK cabinet member for resources, said "getting maximum efficiency for our taxpayers is at the heart of" the exercise. The authority hopes "sizeable, multi-million-pound savings" will ultimately be found. 

But opposition politicians are less convinced.  

Conservative leader of the opposition Deborah Taylor said the price tag that comes with the review was "astonishing", criticising it as "another expensive bill" that was being "handed to residents". 

She again criticised the use of external auditors when Reform UK had promised residents its own "DOGE-style" team would carry out an efficiency review for free. This, she said, is a "broken promise". 

Cllr Taylor added: "Reform UK made great play of criticising the previous Conservative administration for engaging external specialists, yet they are now doing exactly the same thing, only at a greater cost.  

"Worse still, they are spending this money in one of the most financially constrained councils in the country, at a time when vital local services are already under immense pressure. 

"Under the previous Conservative administration, Leicestershire County Council delivered over £290 million in savings through genuine efficiencies, without a single compulsory redundancy and without cutting frontline services.  

"Despite being the lowest-funded county council in England, we consistently achieved balanced budgets year after year through sound financial management and competence, not costly consultancy contracts. 

"This latest U-turn shows a clear pattern emerging from Reform's time in office: big promises, bold sound-bites, but no delivery and no honesty when reality hits. Residents have once again been spun a web of lies. 

"If Reform truly believes they can find further efficiencies, they should start by keeping their own promises and using the free resource they told residents they already had, not writing another cheque from the public purse. At a time when every penny counts, this decision is not just poor judgment, it's an insult to the people of Leicestershire." 

Harborough, Oadby and Wigston MP Neil O'Brien has also criticised the cost. He said: "The Reform administration at County Hall are planning to blow £1.4 million of public money on expensive consultants – supposedly to save money! If they really want to save money, they can start by saving that £1.4 million. Honestly, it's a farce […] 

"They're spending a fortune on consultants to tell them how to save money. What are they playing at? 

"At a time when families are tightening their belts, residents will be asking why their council can't do the same. The leader is a long-standing councillor who knows how local government works – surely he must realise this is a political stunt. Unfortunately, it's a stunt that will cost the taxpayer a lot of money." 

Announcing the costs yesterday, council leader Dan Harrison said: "Residents are expecting us to reduce costs – and that's what we're doing. Closing a sizeable £90m gap is no easy feat. That's why we've brought in leading professionals to look at every inch of the council and help us to bring down costs. 

"Newton have a strong track record, across the public and private sectors, and will be led by the evidence. This isn't about eking out a few hundred-thousand pounds here and there. This is about working with leads across the council and our partners to identify and test big opportunities to do things differently." 

Cllr Fowler added: "Getting maximum efficiency for our taxpayers is at the heart of this. Newton's fee mechanism also provides assurance around excellent value for money for our residents. These are very experienced people who will give us the fresh eyes and best practice required for such a major task."