Reform to begin 'Doge' audits of local councils

Reform has announced it will send its first Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) team into local authorities.

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 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".

Reform said a team of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors will "visit and analyse" local authorities.

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.

In the elections on 1 May the party took control of eight authorities from the Conservatives, along with Doncaster and Durham from Labour.

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."