“Every county needs a Doge,” declares Reform leader after council election surge.
Nigel Farage has vowed to bring Elon Musk-style cost-cutting to Britain’s town halls – slashing waste, scrapping woke jobs, and axing bloated contracts under Reform UK’s bold new local government blitz.
Fresh from a surge at the ballot box, which saw Reform snatch control of major councils including Staffordshire and Lincolnshire, Farage pledged to install a mini “Department of Government Efficiency” – or “Doge” – in every council the party takes over.
“I think every county needs a Doge,” he told BBC’s Today programme. “Local government has gone under the radar for too long.”
Citing bankrupt councils like Croydon, Thurrock and Birmingham, Farage said wasteful spending and poor leadership had left many town halls in crisis — and that it’s time for a taxpayer rescue mission.
The policy is inspired by Musk’s own Doge initiative in the US, which the billionaire claimed saved $10 billion a week. Though that figure isn’t backed by evidence, Farage is undeterred – having met the Tesla boss at Mar-a-Lago last year.
Farage said Reform’s Doge units would target millions wasted on consultants, climate schemes, remote working and diversity roles, promising a “change of culture” in councils.
“We want to get the auditors in, look at long-term contracts, ask why they’re signed up to, for example, pothole providers that aren’t doing the business. And a change of culture – no more work from home, increased productivity from staff.”
WOKE WARS: DIVERSITY JOBS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
Reform’s local revolution could spell the end for council-funded diversity officers and green schemes.
In Durham, where Reform has ended four years of coalition rule, Farage had a stark warning for council staff:
“I would advise anybody who’s working for Durham county council on climate change initiatives or diversity, equity and inclusion or … things that you go on working from home, I think you all better really be seeking alternative careers very, very quickly.”
Councils spent nearly £52 million on EDI roles over the past three years, according to the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA). Birmingham — now bankrupt — forked out £103,000 for an assistant director of equality in 2022 alone.
Some cases have spiralled into scandal. Cambridgeshire county council paid £63,000 after disciplining a lesbian social worker who criticised a colleague’s “gender-fluid” dog in a tutu.
WORK FROM HOME? NOT ON FARAGE’S WATCH
Reform’s Doge teams will also stamp out council working-from-home culture.
As reported in The Telegraph, their report found 97% of councils still let staff work from home at least once a week – with some allowing three days or more.
That’s despite warnings from experts. A joint MIT and UCLA study found home working slashed productivity by 18%, and councils have splurged nearly £700,000 on employees’ home internet and heating bills since 2019.
POTHOLE CRACKDOWN AFTER BLOOMY STUNT
Farage’s viral video of planting flowers in a pothole wasn’t just for laughs – it was a preview of policy.
His new Doge units will audit pothole repair contracts, which he says are leaving roads in tatters despite sky-high budgets.
In Portsmouth, spending on major roads has nearly tripled to £10.3 million, yet pothole complaints are up nearly 38% in a year.
AXING NET ZERO MADNESS
Farage also took aim at council climate spending, slamming “unaffordable” net zero pledges and eco-schemes like adult cycle training and 10-bin recycling.
Some councils spent £2 million teaching adults to ride bikes. Others, like Blaenau Gwent, demand residents sort rubbish into 10 separate bags – while charging record council tax.
CONSULTANTS IN THE CROSSHAIRS
Doges will also hunt down wasteful consultancy contracts, with Birmingham council alone splashing over £53 million in three years.
Southwark burned through £31 million in 10 months, and Croydon handed £1.8 million to one firm for just six months’ work.
FAT CAT PAYDAYS UNDER THREAT
Farage’s war on waste may also take aim at council bosses’ pay packets.
The TPA found that 3,906 staff earned over £100,000 last year – including 262 who took home more than £200,000.
Reform’s rise is already rattling the old order and if Farage’s mini-Musk plan takes hold, it could be councils – not just councillors – facing the chop.
Read more in The Telegraph here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/02/how-reform-doge-units-will-tackle-council-waste/
