Yusuf’s Doge has come closest to accessing data in West Northamptonshire, where in July the cabinet “approved a mechanism to review information sharing arrangements that could lead to potential future opportunities for identifying savings and efficiencies at the authority”.
In a report, the council said its executive leadership team had met “Reform UK visitors” twice to discuss “potential opportunities to share data with third parties for the purpose of identifying efficiencies and potential savings”.
The report said by law, local authorities must not “promote or publish any material to affect public support for a political party”.
“As the Doge offer is from and associated with Reform UK, a political party, this prohibition and the public law principles alongside it are of particular impact,” the report said.
The council said it understood members of Yusuf’s Doge team were “not employed by Reform UK” and had offered their services at no charge.
Council sources say they are still working through the vetting process.
In the meantime, the party insists the unit’s work is ongoing, pointing to deputy leader Richard Tice’s recent announcement about local government pension schemes.
Yusuf has frequently complained about “waste” in local government and the way in which contracts for services are procured, alleging a lack of competition and corruption.
In her interview with the Spectator, Green was asked whether the political appetite for US President Donald Trump and Doge filled her with confidence.
Green said: “I think there’s a UK-way of doing things that we haven’t felt out yet.
“I don’t think it needs to be brash or kooky or partisan. Those things give you a litmus for something maybe being timely and it’s a good opportunity.”
She added: “I’m not convinced that anyone in the public sector is incentivised in a way that gets good outcomes for the work that they’re doing.”