Kent County Council is one of ten in the country led by Nigel Farage’s party but efforts to save cash under the ‘DOGE’ style method are said to have been unsuccessful.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage poses for a photo with members of Kent County Council, during his visit to the Reform UK group Kent County Council in July.
Picture:
PA
Reform UK are set to hike council tax in Kent by the maximum amount of 5% after claims a drive by the council to cut costs has failed.
Nigel Farage’s party promised to find ways of reducing cash being spent by councils across the country.
But months after taking control of Kent County Council, claims have been made that efforts to slash spending have failed.
The party adopted the ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ approach known as DOGE, which was first established by Elon Musk in the US.
Read more: Former Conservative armed forces minister joins Reform UK
But now staff working for the local authority have admitted efforts to slash spending have failed and council tax will increase.
Reform’s cabinet member for adult social care on Kent County Council Diane Morton claimed services in the area were already “down to the bare bones.”
Cllr Morton said the tax could be raised by around five per cent – the maximum amount which is allowed.
Kent County Council’s Diane Morton says the local authority may be forced to hike council tax by the maximum amount.
Picture:
Alamy
She told the Financial Times said: “We’ve got more demand than ever before and it’s growing.”
“We just want more money.”
The “DOGE” approach was introduced go boost savings at councils in England including Kent.
But the method, which has been overseen by Reform’s head of policy Zia Yusuf, has not yet completed work in Kent due to tensions over unelected party members gaining access to sensitive council information, the FT reported.
Council leader Linden Kemkaran said Kent was a test bed for the party’s national policies and the “shop window through which everybody is going to see what a Reform government might look like.”
A third senior Reform cabinet member in Kent told the newspaper: “Everyone thought we’d come in and there were going to be these huge costs we could cut away but there just aren’t.”
Council leader Linden Kemkaran said Kent was a test bed for the party’s national policies.
Picture:
Alamy
The council in Kent has since formed ‘DOLGE’ – Department of Local Government Efficiency – run by several cabinet members but is said to be independent from Reform’s head office.
Kemkaran added: “If and when we get a legal framework in place that allows [Doge] to come in, and if I need them, I can pick up the phone and say, we found this, we need your help.
“We’re making such great progress anyway, I don’t think we need it.”
Kent County Council adopted the ‘DOGE’ cost-cutting method first adopted by Elon Musk in the US.
Picture:
Getty
Around £40m has been identified in savings to be achieved over the next four years according to Dolge claims.
Methods include abandoning a £30m programme to make homes more energy efficient and scrapping a new fleet of electric cars.
Antony Hook, leader of the Liberal Democrats in Kent, said: “During the election they said vote for us to fix asylum and now they’ve discovered that the county has no role in asylum and won’t be able to cut council tax.
“They came into power thinking they would find lots of waste to cut, and they haven’t identified any.”