Reform launches ‘Doge' council unit

Telegraph

2 days ago

Reform UK will launch a new 'Doge' council unit to crack down on waste and inefficiency.
Nigel Farage's party has assembled a team of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors, which will visit each of the 10 councils Reform controls – starting with Kent on Monday – to look at ways to save money.
The group, appointed by Zia Yusuf, the Reform chairman, is modelled on Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency in the US.
It will be headed by a leading tech entrepreneur. Reform has not yet named him, although the party says he has a specialism in data analytics and has also been a turnaround chief executive.
The announcement comes a month after Reform gained its first foothold in local government when it seized control of eight local authorities from the Tories and two from Labour.
Mr Yusuf said: 'For too long, British taxpayers have watched their money vanish into a black hole. Their taxes keep going up, their bin collections keep getting less frequent, potholes remain unfixed, their local services keep getting cut.
'Reform won a historic victory on a mandate to change this. As promised, we have created a UK Doge to identify and cut wasteful spending of taxpayer money. Our team will use cutting edge technology and deliver real value for voters.'
Mr Farage told the BBC after the local elections: 'I think every county needs a Doge. I think local government has gone under the radar for too long.
'We've seen the high-profile cases of Croydon, of Thurrock, where they've gone bankrupt, Birmingham indeed, where they've gone bankrupt.'
Last week, Mr Musk stepped down from his role in the Trump administration, days after he had attacked the US president's spending plan by claiming it 'undermines' his Doge work.
The Reform 'Doge' team's first visit will be to Kent, where it won more than two thirds of the seats in May. The county council has a gross budget of more than £2.5 billion.
Linden Kemkaran, the Reform council leader, has written to Amanda Beer, the chief executive, to announce her intention to undertake a review of the council's 'financial management, procurement activity, and associated governance arrangements'.
'This review is part of Reform's commitment to transparency, accountability, the prudent management of public funds and the highest standards in public life,' the letter states.
'Conducting this work was a core part of Reform's local manifesto. We believe it is in the public interest to ensure that the council's financial and procurement systems are robust, lawful, and value-driven. To that end, Kent council has appointed the Doge team, a unit of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors to conduct this review on our behalf.'
The review will look at contractual arrangements with suppliers and consultants, all capital expenditure, any off-book or contingent liabilities, the use of reserves and financial resilience, and any problems flagged by internal or external auditors in the last three years.
The team has demanded access to all relevant documents, reports, records, data, minutes and correspondence, as well as 'any internal investigations or whistleblowing reports relevant to financial matters'.
The letter warns: 'Should you resist this request, we are ready to pass a council motion to compel the same and will consider any obstruction of our councillors duties to be gross misconduct. We trust this will not be required.'
Last week, Reform announced plans to axe gold-plated pension schemes for council staff. Richard Tice, the deputy leader, said final-salary pension schemes would end in the councils it now controls, describing them as an 'outrage'. He said the money would be redirected to improving council services such as bin collections.
The party has also pledged to reduce spending on diversity, equality and inclusion schemes and called for an attack on government waste to save £5 out of every £100.