Reform UK has warned that its first team, modelled on Elon Musk's Department for Government Effectiveness (Doge), will “take time” to make recommendations.
On Monday, the first group of Doges arrived at Kent County Council (KCC) in Maidstone for their first meeting.
Reform UK Party Chairman Zia Yousaf met with party leader, Councillor Linden Kemkaran, as well as senior members of the Kuwait Council Party, including millionaire Reform Party supporter Aaron Banks, and Nathaniel Fried, a tech entrepreneur who reportedly runs Team Dodge.
The party plans to introduce artificial intelligence, modern data analysis tools and forensic auditing methods to “identify wasteful spending and develop practical solutions.”
This follows the US Doge program, which was initiated during Donald Trump's presidency to cut federal spending and was led by billionaire Musk until his recent departure.
A KCC spokesperson noted that the board has “always been committed to the principles of transparency and accountability” but will engage “cooperatively and professionally” with the Doge team.
The Reform Party said Monday's meeting was “very productive” but 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 analysing the data and making recommendations which will then be passed on to Kent County Council, the council leader and the cabinet to make an informed decision on whether any cuts or actions can be made.”
“From what I heard, the meeting yesterday was very productive, the board was very responsive and the team got the information 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 a first for this kind of thing, so it'll take as long as it takes. We hope it doesn't take too long.”
He added: “Once this process is complete, we will hopefully 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 also a former CEO who led a restructuring.”
The 28-year-old from Surrey
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
