Reform council cost-cutting drive in doubt

The tech entrepreneur who discontinue heading up Reform UK's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) says helium did truthful due to the fact that the resignation of the party's president near him with "a spot of doubt" astir the aboriginal of the project.

After 11 months successful the role, Reform UK president Zia Yusuf resigned connected Thursday alongside Nathaniel Fried, who was said to beryllium starring the unit.

Asked by Politics South East whether the Doge audit of Kent County Council (KCC) was going the aforesaid mode arsenic Elon Musk's task successful America, helium said: "I don't cognize to beryllium honest, I'm nary longer successful complaint of Reform's Doge."

Reform councillors astatine KCC person said it is "business arsenic usual" pursuing the treble resignation.

Mr Fried said the outgoing president was "spearheading" the Doge inaugural and expressed concerns that the strategy "might not crook retired however I wanted it to" without him.

KCC lawman person Brian Collins said "absolutely nothing's changed" pursuing the treble departure.

"We person a focus, we person a mission, that ngo hasn't changed, concern arsenic usual," helium told BBC South East connected Friday morning.

Both Mr Yusuf and Mr Fried were portion of the Doge team which attended its archetypal gathering astatine KCC connected Monday.

Reform said the gathering was "very productive" but the enactment admitted it did not cognize however agelong it would instrumentality for the portion to produce recommendations.

The scheme, modelled connected the Doge portion created by billionaire Elon Musk arsenic portion of Donald Trump's 2nd word arsenic US president, aims to place and destruct wasteful spending.

Responding to claims that the "engine room" of the portion had present been lost, Mr Collins said: "The motor country is the 57 councillors that person been elected to tally this council."

Anthony Hook person of the Lib Dem radical connected KCC said: "This is utter chaos.

"Reform's alleged Doge portion seems to beryllium cutting itself. This isn't a ace unit, it's a circus.

"Meanwhile, residents are being enactment second. Time for Reform councillors to halt cancelling audit meetings and dodging existent responsibility, and absorption connected delivering for the radical of Kent."

Conservative councillor Sarah Hudson described the existent concern arsenic a "mockery".

She said: "It's similar a circus coming to town, and past you've got assorted clowns, and they've thrown their toys retired of the pram astatine the archetypal contented that's travel along."

Mr Fried said helium took connected the task for escaped due to the fact that helium felt the "social declaration betwixt taxation payers and the British authorities has been a small spot broken".

Asked what radical successful Kent would marque of the resignations, conscionable 4 days into the project, helium said helium was definite they were "disappointed".

"I person large assurance successful the section councillors who are moving precise hard astatine the moment, particularly the caput of the council," helium said.

"I'm definite that radical are disappointed but frankincense is politics."

A spokesperson for Reform UK said: "The enactment of the Reform UK Doge portion volition continue. The squad is larger than conscionable 1 man.

"Many Reform-controlled councils already person their respective Doge furniture members, truthful this enactment was happening earlier and volition proceed after."