Fried's company, Turgensec, specialises in cyber security, so I'm not sure what that has to do with council finances.
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Reform to begin Musk-style audits of councils
(166 Posts)"Reform has announced it will send its first Elon Musk-style Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) team into local authorities to assess "wasteful spending".
The party said the first council to be audited will be Kent County Council, one of the councils the party took control of in May's local elections.
In a statement released late on Sunday, party chairman Zia Yusuf said it would be
led by one of the UK's leading tech entrepreneurs", although it is not yet known who that is
The leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition in Kent said he believes it will be "more performance than substance".
It follows the US 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 said a team of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors will "visit and analyse" local authorities.
But Antony Hook, the Liberal Democrat opposition leader on Kent County Council, questioned the need for a team of outside auditors
He told BBC Radio Kent: "We have at KCC a governance and audit committee, that was due to have its first meeting since the election next week.
"Reform have cancelled it.
The health and scrutiny committee was meant to meet, Reform have cancelled it. Reform have cancelled most of the committee meetings for this week or next week, without any explanation
"They haven't even named who their nominees are to chair these important committees are.
If Reform were serious about making the council work well they would be getting their councillors to do this job, not bringing in unnamed anonymous people who haven't been elected
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpw70j1k540o#comments
It interesting reading the comments on the article.
for example
"Musk's DOGE initiative was a massive failure - unaccountable, symbolic and a waste of money. Expect Reform's poundshop version to be even worse. Besides, you can't just sack people like in the US"
"My guess is that Reform's PR stunt DOGE style audit will end up costing the taxpayer more than it ever finds in savings"
Yes, I read the small print on your reference, he's a young techno start up whizz and has no experience whatsoever in providing any kind of public service or indeed working with people in need. Straight from the Musk/DOGE handbook. what a terrific start.
Wyllow3
Yes, I read the small print on your reference, he's a young techno start up whizz and has no experience whatsoever in providing any kind of public service or indeed working with people in need. Straight from the Musk/DOGE handbook. what a terrific start.
Even more weird, it appears the company has now been dissolved.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/12058948
Something smells very iffy to me.
growstuff
My understanding is that the current audits are primarily financial. PSAA checks that contracts have been put out to tender using the correct procedure, that's there no fraud, that the figures add up, etc.
I suspect the new "audit" will be different and will question why and how money is spent and will recommend scrapping projects it sees as pointless.
An example might be installing a children's playground. A traditional audit would check that all procedures have been followed and all money accounted for. The new audit might say it's a waste of money anyway and the whole project might be scrapped.
The majority of County Council spending is on statutory provision (social care and education), but other services such as libraries and country parks will be targets.
PS. Hope somebody does a pothole audit!
Yes, and there are also requirements to justify spending of allocations which are given by central government or other bodies for specific activities, which councils are monitored against. If they fail to deliver they will not be funded in future years. A good example is actually the current potholes initiative.
The company went into voluntary liquidation in March 2024. I hope Kent County Council doesn't end up being liquidated. 
Casdon I was being serious about potholes.
growstuff
The company went into voluntary liquidation in March 2024. I hope Kent County Council doesn't end up being liquidated.
It really does smell iffy. So he's not even a successful entrepreneur.
I'm quite grateful that Essex County Council's elections were postponed, initially for a year. Hopefully, Reform will have had an opportunity to show their colours by the time the elections take place. Essex is currently "true blue" - I'm beginning to hope it stays that way.
growstuff
Casdon I was being serious about potholes.
It’s a very serious topic I know - any council that resolves all the potholes under their jurisdiction will get a good star I’m sure.
I feel genuinely sorry for the people living in Kent who did not vote for these shambolic trouble causers who have only a desire to disrupt and not deliver.
It seems all they can do is copy the disasters occuring across the pond, with no awareness that we have completely different local government systems here, with different responsibilities.
Apparently most regularly-held Kent county council meetings have been suspended. Why? If no decisions are being made what good will an audit do?
If I were living in Kent I would be asking: how much are these 'auditors' who may well not have a clue what the figures they are looking at actually mean, being paid?
If they are willing to work for nothing (a likely story)then why don't they devote their time to helping out some of the disabled and marginalised that are going to suffer as a consequence of the new councils ignorance? Wait- I know the answer- they don't care. Disruption is their only aim.
How much is the leader of the council being paid for effectively doing nothing whilst this audit takes place?
Are any of the Reform councillors contributing their earnings to helping out, or are they also creaming off the council tax and doing nothing in return?
It will only take a few weeks of services being disrupted (an inevitable consequence) for the people who voted for these grifters to realise what a terrible mistake they made- but most of them are likely to pretend it wasn't them and just blame the previous councils for what has gone wrong.
I agree with LizzieDrip. How large is Reform’s majority in Kent? Without wanting to offend anybody I don’t think that audit attracts the brightest accountants and auditing local govt finances is very very granular. Of course the new auditors will find Waste since that is the object of their work.They ought to be finding that council spending needs to be increased as the cost of providing services has greatly increased while local govt finances spending has been cut and cut.
It must be concerning if meetings are not being held and cllrs not allowed to do their work.
Something smells very iffy to me
Me too growstuff.
Wouldn’t trust this lot of grifters as far as I could throw them. No doubt some pockets will be lined, at the tax payers expense.
Just seen this post on X. Sorry, it gave me a giggle (it's been a boring day):
"DOGE means Department Of Government Efficiencies. ReformUK are not in Government. Better to use the correct acronym- DILDOS Department In Local District Offices Squad."
Brilliant🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
growstuff
Just seen this post on X. Sorry, it gave me a giggle (it's been a boring day):
"DOGE means Department Of Government Efficiencies. ReformUK are not in Government. Better to use the correct acronym- DILDOS Department In Local District Offices Squad."
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
How about DOGGING?
Department Of Grasping Grifters In (a) Nihilistic Gang.
FriedGreenTomatoes2
The country is skint. We have to spend what we do very mindfully. Servicing our debt alone is eye watering.
When did you do your economics degree FGT and just how many times have you checked that these thing are not being done already?
DOGE has facilitated mass layoffs and the dismantling of organisations within the US government and those that received funding from the government.
It has also (probably illegally) assisted with immigration crackdowns and copied sensitive data from government databases.
Silverbrooks
How about DOGGING?
Department Of Grasping Grifters In (a) Nihilistic Gang.
👏👏👏👏
Silverbrooks
How about DOGGING?
Department Of Grasping Grifters In (a) Nihilistic Gang.
Each council adopts its own code, but it must be based on the Committee on Standards in Public Life's seven principles of public life.
I foresee and hope that lawyers will be put straight on to this. We live in a democracy, not Farage's fiefdom.
But why Nathaniel Fried? His expertise is in data breaches:
techround.co.uk/news/secretive-gchq-funded-company-turgensec-acquired/
Nobody is attacking Kent CC - other than Reform.
Silverbrooks
^What [councils] do is in plain sight. ^
Exactly.
The thing about Reform is that are always in accusation mode.
Yusuf was interviewed by Lewis Goodall on LBC claiming there was 7 billion savings to made by scrapping DEI according to an independent think tank, the name of which he wouldn’t give on air but would tweet after the show. He hasn’t.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQy6V2pSZF4
And now Reform is claiming to have a team of world class software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors, working for free.
x.com/ZiaYusufUK/status/1929248578951618591
They say they are sending in forensic auditors. Not auditors. Forensic auditors. A forensic auditor is a specialized auditor who uses accounting and auditing techniques to investigate financial crimes, fraud, and misconduct.That is an accusation of concealment not of a policy that they just happened to disagree with because the Orange Oberführer says so.
What appalling people they all are, every last one of them.
Yusuf who bought his job as Reform Party Chair with a £200,000 donation is hardly a glowing example of meritocracy.
Using forensic accountants immediately tells me they suspect fraud, mismanagement and crime.
Councils are already audited by external independent auditors, AND throughout the year by councillors, who are also independent! This is all madness frankly and whose idea was it?
In the real world all of these brand new, inexperienced councillors would be attending training and inductions and paired with an experienced councillor to learn their role and duties, as well as gaining a full understanding of how our local authorities work and what the LA responsibilities are.
If I was the head of Finance I would be livid!
Hmm! Maybe that's what is suspected.
www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/public-money-wasted-kent-county-9297095
If so, it seems the last council was on the case.
Btw, do any of these new Reform Councillors actually understand their role? Do they any clue whatsoever about their remit? It is in a governing capacity, as well as attending various committee meetings and contributing to decision making?
I absolutely dread next year when my own LA has it council elections. We currently have very strong, experienced local councillors, who, in the main, do fairly good jobs, being visible in heir wards and getting on board with local initiatives whilst also holding local s
surgeries and having a social media present.
Reform running our Unitary Council would be a complete disaster.
People should remember not all LA’s financial issues are down to “waste” and mismanagement, rather rising costs of social care (everlasting aging population) and Children’s Services), and decreases in central funding.
Even if these “audits” highlight huge areas of “waste”, what then? They have absolution no “hiring and firing” power, not can they shut down departments, so all this talk of shutting down Diversity and Equality departments and shoving people out is just pie in the sky, this isn’t America and Farage isn’t Elon Musk.
Whilst all this stuff goes on and committee meetings are cancelled all that will happen, at best, is nothing can move forward.
I will bet, imo, it won’t be long before before non-reform councillors start to refer to Codes of Conduct etc!
Sorry about typos
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