Reform UK has warned that its first unit, inspired by Elon Musk's Department for Government Effectiveness (Doge), will “take so long” to produce recommendations.
On Monday, the first Dogs team arrived at Kent County Council (KCC) in Maidstone for their first meeting.
Reform UK Party Chairman Zia Yousaf met with party leader and councillor Linden Kemkaran and senior members of the Kuwait Council Party, as well as millionaire Reform Party supporter Aaron Banks and Nathaniel Fried, a tech entrepreneur who reportedly heads Dodge's division.
The party intends to use artificial intelligence, modern data analysis tools and forensic auditing techniques to “identify inefficient spending and propose practical solutions.”
This follows the US Doge program, which was initiated during Donald Trump's presidency to reduce federal spending and was led by billionaire Musk until his recent departure.
A KCC spokesman said the board had “always been committed to transparency and accountability” but would work “collaboratively and professionally” with the Doge team.
Reform Party officials said Monday's meeting was “very productive,” but the party admitted it did not know how long it would take the unit to prepare recommendations.
A party spokesman told the PA News Agency: “We are working through the data and making recommendations which will then be passed on to Kent County Council, the council leader and the cabinet so they can make an informed decision on any cuts or actions that may be needed.”
“From what I heard, the meeting yesterday was very productive, the board was very responsive and the team got everything they needed, so now it’s just a matter of waiting for the recommendations.
“This is the first time we've done this, and obviously it's the first time it's been done this way, so it'll take as long as it takes. We hope it doesn't take too long.”
He added: “Once the process is complete, we hope we will have a clearer idea of the timeframe for future advice.”
Mr Fried, who leads the KCC Doge project, was described by Reform as “one of the country's leading tech entrepreneurs, specialising in data analytics and with experience in restructuring as a CEO”.
The 28-year-old from Surrey co-founded TurgenSec, a company that develops systems to detect
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
