"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"
Teazel2
Wyllow3
Do you feel however that this audit is necessary, cancelling all meetings, and the right people carrying it out? I'm not going to assume that all Reform voters think the same.
Its very necessary, and I hope they can identify and eliminate wasteful spending as well as trying to reform pensions.
So what is the evidence of your so-called "wasteful spending".
Actual evidence, not a chance to use the soundtrack of the unlawful and unconstitutional steps the Orange One has taken.
Teazel2
Wyllow3
Do you feel however that this audit is necessary, cancelling all meetings, and the right people carrying it out? I'm not going to assume that all Reform voters think the same.
Its very necessary, and I hope they can identify and eliminate wasteful spending as well as trying to reform pensions.
Elected councillors have no jurisdiction over the pensions of the Council’s employees Teazel2. If they have promised that they cannot deliver.
So who is doing the audit?
What security must they pass.
What access do they have to sensitive information?
Can businesses be confident that contracts with the council are kept confidential?
Can individuals be sure that personal information is kept confident.
What access will they have to the pension department? The future investment plans etc.
Councils and their departments hold probably more total information about people than any other public run body.
Listening to Reform, absolutely nothing they say or do fills me with the confidence that they have either sufficient knowledge or judgement to carry out an audit of their own members let alone the biggest LA in the country.
Wyllow3
Do you feel however that this audit is necessary, cancelling all meetings, and the right people carrying it out? I'm not going to assume that all Reform voters think the same.
Its very necessary, and I hope they can identify and eliminate wasteful spending as well as trying to reform pensions.
growstuff
Teazel2
Whitewavemark2
Just listening to the local television and Reform’s plans for KCC.
I’m so glad I don’t live in KentI live in Kent and I am very happy that Reform have been voted in.
Why?
Its obvious, they want to eliminate wasteful spending, something all councils seem to do.
Our Council is broke, no money in the coffers at all. They did employ at great expense, a person to look at the books and the conclusion was we were broke, waste of money we don't have. Employ people in the first place that know what they are doing seems obvious but unachievable.
Musk stated his audit would save trillions of dollars- the latest figures are a few million saved- no wonder he's gone...
still I suppose if Kent CC save a few quid on transport for disabled kids it will have been worth it...
If REform are going for DOGE style committees, does that mean they are going to employ drug-addled South Africans to run them?
Teazel2
Whitewavemark2
Just listening to the local television and Reform’s plans for KCC.
I’m so glad I don’t live in KentI live in Kent and I am very happy that Reform have been voted in.
Why?
Teazel2
Whitewavemark2
Just listening to the local television and Reform’s plans for KCC.
I’m so glad I don’t live in KentI live in Kent and I am very happy that Reform have been voted in.
They didn’t seem to know what they were talking about!!
But whatever floats your boat😊
Do you feel however that this audit is necessary, cancelling all meetings, and the right people carrying it out? I'm not going to assume that all Reform voters think the same.
Whitewavemark2
Just listening to the local television and Reform’s plans for KCC.
I’m so glad I don’t live in Kent
I live in Kent and I am very happy that Reform have been voted in.
And some people think it doesnt matter what Party a Local Councilor represents.
Just listening to the local television and Reform’s plans for KCC.
I’m so glad I don’t live in Kent
Indeed. Irregularities were discovered that sound like an accumulation of clerical errors across different departments.
KCC counter fraud manager James Flannery said ...
Unfortunately, it is human error a lot of the time. It could be the manager is on long-term sick and the person left and the relevant actions weren't taken in the system.
You don't resolve these things by cutting resources but by increasing them.
Sorry about typos
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Silverbrooks
How about DOGGING?
Department Of Grasping Grifters In (a) Nihilistic Gang.
Silverbrooks
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.
How about DOGGING?
Department Of Grasping Grifters In (a) Nihilistic Gang.
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