Latest news with #ElonMusk-style
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Reform UK to give council Musk-style audit
Reform UK plans to send its Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) team into West Northamptonshire Council to assess "wasteful spending". The council has become one of the frontrunners to receive a visit from the party's new audit team, including software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors. However, a party spokesperson said there was not currently a timetable for the Northamptonshire visit. The authority's Conservative group leader said savings could be achieved "without the gimmicks". Reform UK took 42 of the 76 seats in the council after the local elections on 1 May to run it as a majority. The party took control of eight authorities from the Conservatives - including neighbouring North Northamptonshire - along with Doncaster from Labour and Durham, which was run as a coalition. The idea follows the US Doge, which was launched in January after President Donald Trump took office to cut federal spending. Billionaire Musk was involved but has since left his position spearheading the unit. Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf announced on X that West Northamptonshire and Lancashire were next in line to be visited by the audit team. Reform UK claimed the work would be completed free of charge. The party said the unit would use artificial intelligence and advanced data analysis tools to find any waste. Although the Doge team would be able to give tips and tricks, elected councillors and leadership would decide whether to act on recommendations. A Reform UK party spokesperson said: "The taskforce will identify and eliminate wasteful spending, increasing transparency and ensuring taxpayer money is spent solely on activity that benefits local people." Mark Arnull, Reform UK leader of West Northamptonshire Council, said: "Since forming the council's new political administration we have been working closely with senior officers, building good relationships and meeting regularly as we start to shape our future priorities for communities across West Northants." Daniel Lister, leader of the Tory opposition, said: "We made over £115m in efficiency savings under the last Conservative administration and we were committed to finding even more, so we know savings can be achieved without the gimmicks. "This new so-called 'efficiency unit', parachuted in and styled on the Trump/Musk Doge model in the United States, delivered only a fraction of the promised savings over there, while increasing spending and gutting support for veterans, the homeless and other essential services. Is that really the reform people voted for? "We will be watching closely to ensure the key services our communities rely on are not sacrificed for short-term political theatre." Meanwhile, on Tuesday evening the first cabinet meeting of the new Reform UK-led council was disrupted by clean air campaigners. It was paused after a number of public speakers refused to stop talking when asked by the leader of the council, and cabinet members briefly left the room. Protestors from Clean Air Northampton and 1,000 Voices spoke on an item about a public space protection order to stop car cruising, which was eventually supported by cabinet - and will be implemented for a maximum period of three years with the opportunity to extend. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Car cruising may be banned under new order Reform UK councillor 'honoured' to lead authority Reform council leader criticised on net zero stance Local Democracy Reporting Service West Northamptonshire Council
Powys County Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Powys County Times
Reform UK's Musk-style efficiency unit will ‘take as long as it takes'
Reform UK have warned that their first Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) unit 'will take as long as it takes' to provide recommendations. On Monday, the inaugural Doge team arrived at Kent County Council (KCC) in Maidstone for their first meeting. Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf met leader Councillor Linden Kemkaran along with senior KCC staff accompanied by millionaire Reform-backer Aaron Banks and Nathaniel Fried, a tech entrepreneur said to be leading the Doge unit. The party plans to use artificial intelligence, advanced data analysis tools and forensic auditing techniques to 'identify wasteful spending and recommend actionable solutions'. It follows the US Doge, which was launched during Donald Trump's presidency to cut federal spending which billionaire Mr Musk was spearheading before his recent departure. A KCC spokesperson has said the council 'has always been committed to transparency and accountability' but will work 'collaboratively and professionally' with the Doge team. Reform claims that the meeting on Monday was 'very productive' but the party had admitted it does not know how long it will take for the unit to produce recommendations. A party spokesperson told the PA News Agency: 'We're crunching numbers and producing recommendations and those recommendations will then go to the leadership team at Kent County Council, so the council leader and the cabinet, to kind of make an informed decision on whether some cut backs can be made, or whether some action can be taken. 'From what I've heard it was a very productive meeting yesterday, the council were very co-operative and the team got what they needed so now it's just a case of waiting for those recommendations to be made. 'This is the first one we've done, obviously it's the first one that's ever been done really in this manner so it will take as long as it takes, we're hoping it won't take too long.' He added: 'After this is done we will hopefully have a better indication of the kind of time frames for future councils as well.' Mr Fried, who is spearheading KCC's Doge project, was described by Reform as 'one of the country's leading tech entrepreneurs with a specialism in data analytics who has also been a turnaround CEO'. The 28-year-old, from Surrey, co-founded TurgenSec, which developed systems to uncover data breaches for businesses. In June 2023, he told CEO Today that after 'a long line of failed businesses' he put every penny he had into TurgenSec, including his university maintenance loan. Mr Banks, who stood to be mayor of the West of England last month but failed to win, will act as an advisor for the unit. Reform took 57 of a possible 81 seats in Kent at the local elections on May 1, overturning Conservative control of the council for the first time. On Tuesday, a KCC spokesperson said: 'We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and professionally with the new administration here at KCC, including the Doge team. 'KCC has always been committed to transparency and accountability and has been consistently praised by external auditors for the accuracy of its accounts and the prudent management of public funds. 'Much of our information, including full budget, external contracts register, and auditor's reports, is already in the public domain for anyone to scrutinise and review.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Reform UK's Musk-style efficiency unit will ‘take as long as it takes'
Reform UK have warned that their first Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) unit 'will take as long as it takes' to provide recommendations. On Monday, the inaugural Doge team arrived at Kent County Council (KCC) in Maidstone for their first meeting. Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf met leader Councillor Linden Kemkaran along with senior KCC staff accompanied by millionaire Reform-backer Aaron Banks and Nathaniel Fried, a tech entrepreneur said to be leading the Doge unit. The party plans to use artificial intelligence, advanced data analysis tools and forensic auditing techniques to 'identify wasteful spending and recommend actionable solutions'. It follows the US Doge, which was launched during Donald Trump's presidency to cut federal spending which billionaire Mr Musk was spearheading before his recent departure. A KCC spokesperson has said the council 'has always been committed to transparency and accountability' but will work 'collaboratively and professionally' with the Doge team. Reform claims that the meeting on Monday was 'very productive' but the party had admitted it does not know how long it will take for the unit to produce recommendations. A party spokesperson told the PA News Agency: 'We're crunching numbers and producing recommendations and those recommendations will then go to the leadership team at Kent County Council, so the council leader and the cabinet, to kind of make an informed decision on whether some cut backs can be made, or whether some action can be taken. 'From what I've heard it was a very productive meeting yesterday, the council were very co-operative and the team got what they needed so now it's just a case of waiting for those recommendations to be made. 'This is the first one we've done, obviously it's the first one that's ever been done really in this manner so it will take as long as it takes, we're hoping it won't take too long.' He added: 'After this is done we will hopefully have a better indication of the kind of time frames for future councils as well.' Mr Fried, who is spearheading KCC's Doge project, was described by Reform as 'one of the country's leading tech entrepreneurs with a specialism in data analytics who has also been a turnaround CEO'. The 28-year-old, from Surrey, co-founded TurgenSec, which developed systems to uncover data breaches for businesses. In June 2023, he told CEO Today that after 'a long line of failed businesses' he put every penny he had into TurgenSec, including his university maintenance loan. Mr Banks, who stood to be mayor of the West of England last month but failed to win, will act as an advisor for the unit. Reform took 57 of a possible 81 seats in Kent at the local elections on May 1, overturning Conservative control of the council for the first time. On Tuesday, a KCC spokesperson said: 'We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and professionally with the new administration here at KCC, including the Doge team. 'KCC has always been committed to transparency and accountability and has been consistently praised by external auditors for the accuracy of its accounts and the prudent management of public funds. 'Much of our information, including full budget, external contracts register, and auditor's reports, is already in the public domain for anyone to scrutinise and review.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Reform UK to pilot Doge-style scheme to examine council spending
Reform UK has told council officers they will face 'gross misconduct' if they obstruct an Elon Musk-style department of government efficiency unit to examine all council spending in areas they control. The party will pilot the Doge-style scheme in Kent county council, led by a team including the Brexit donor Arron Banks as well as cybersecurity entrepreneur Nathaniel Fried. The move has been criticised as 'political theatre' by senior local authority figures and opposition politicians. Robert Hayward, the Conservative peer and pollster, told Politico he had written to the Electoral Commission arguing that the Reform volunteers should be scrutinised under political donation rules as a donation in kind. Lord Hayward said: 'Without full disclosure, the risk is that any donation could be buying access or influence election results.' Announcing the new initiative, Reform said the team would start to go through all council expenditure, beginning with Kent county council, to identify wasteful spending in the manner of the unit set up by Musk under Donald Trump with the aim of cutting wasteful spending. It said it would use artificial intelligence, advanced data analysis tools and forensic auditing techniques to 'identify wasteful spending and recommend actionable solutions'. It said all council officers should hand over all documents requested, including internal investigations or whistleblowing reports relevant to financial matters. It added: '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.' The instruction was signed by the council leader, Linden Kemkaran; the party chair, Zia Yusuf; and the Reform leader, Nigel Farage. Announcing the scheme, 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.' Farage told GB News that all of those involved were doing it on a voluntary basis. He said: 'This is day one of Doge. The Doge team has gone into County Hall in Maidstone in Kent this very morning, a team of young tech entrepreneurs who are not being paid. They're doing it of their own free will, and we're going in to have a look at Kent, have a look at the contracts, to have a look at the expenditure. 'We hope that the Kent chief executive and the council will work with us because, of course, many of the decisions – decisions on spending – would have been political decisions. No, Doge is active, up and running as we speak.' John Merry, the deputy mayor of Salford who chairs the Key Cities group of 24 councils across the UK, said Doge was 'absolutely the last thing local authorities need right now'. He said: 'I hear daily from members facing mounting pressures across vital services like Send [special educational needs and disabilities], social care and homelessness. In this context, it is difficult to see how Reform's Doge initiative offers any meaningful solution. What councils need now is not inefficient cost-cutting at the margins, but a serious commitment to long-term funding reform – one that aligns grant allocation with local needs and supports a resilient foundation for economic growth.' Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said: 'If you're looking at Elon Musk's Doge and thinking that is how we want to have our bins collected and potholes filled, you might be learning the wrong lesson.'
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Epoch Times
Reform UK to Send First ‘DOGE' Team to Look at Council Spending
Reform UK is set to send in its first Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) unit to look at 'wasteful spending' in councils. A team of software engineers, data analysts, and forensic auditors will 'visit and analyse' local authorities, starting with Kent County Council on Monday, the party said. It follows the U.S. DOGE, which was launched during Donald Trump's presidency to cut federal spending. Billionaire Musk was involved but has since left his position spearheading the unit. Reform says its UK version will be led by a yet-unnamed man described as one of the country's 'leading tech entrepreneurs with a specialism in data analytics who has also been a turnaround CEO.' The party said that the unit will use artificial intelligence, advanced data analysis tools, and forensic auditing techniques to 'identify wasteful spending and recommend actionable solutions.' A letter sent to Kent County Council, which Reform now controls after the May local elections, read: 'The scope of the review includes but is not limited to: Contractual arrangements with suppliers and consultants, all capital expenditure, use of framework agreements and direct awards, any off-book or contingent liabilities, use of reserves and financial resilience, any audit flags raised by internal or external auditors in the last three years. Related Stories 5/27/2025 5/30/2025 'We request that all relevant council officers provide the Doge team with full and prompt access to: Council-held documents, reports and records (electronic and paper), relevant finance, procurement, audit and contract data, meeting minutes and correspondence concerning major procurements, any internal investigations or whistleblowing reports relevant to financial matters, any additional documents that might be of assistance.' It added: '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.' It is signed by council leader Linden Kemkaran, party Chairman Zia Yusuf and party leader Nigel Farage. Yusuf said: 'For too long British people have been 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.' During a local election campaign launch in March, Farage told supporters: 'Frankly folks, what we need in this country to pay for the cuts that people deserve and need, we need a British form of DOGE, as Elon Musk has got in America. Let's have a British DOGE.' A Kent County Council spokesman declined to comment.
