Reform council agrees plan to share data with savings unit
The BBC has been told Doge has submitted requests to access sensitive information to other councils, including those in Kent and Worcestershire.So far, Doge has focused on drawing attention to publicly available information about council spending, such as money spent on net-zero initiatives and asylum seekers.The party insists it needs access to council records that are not public to make sure taxpayers are getting value for money."It's not a very well kept secret at council level that a lot of money is wasted on procurement," a party source said.But opposition councillors have questioned the need for a team of outside auditors and have expressed concerns about how sensitive data would be handled by Doge.Jonathan Harris, the Liberal Democrat group leader on West Northamptonshire Council, said he was sceptical of Doge's claims and argued it should be up to elected councillors to identify opportunities for saving money."They've said they're going to get fantastic data engineers in and use AI," Harris said. "That appears to be all smoke and mirrors."Harris said he had "lots of uncomfortable concerns about it because it's a PR exercise"."It's a promotional tool for Reform," he added.
The council has not shared any data with Doge so far.But the council said arrangements signed off by the cabinet on Wednesday establish "the framework under which information may possibly be shared in the future, including strict legal protections and confidentiality safeguards".Mark Arnull, the Reform UK leader of the council, said the proposed data-sharing arrangement would comply with the law.He said: "I am confident the team will be able to support the council in identifying further efficiencies and potential future savings whilst continuing to protect and deliver services for residents across West Northamptonshire."The council said that since its creation in 2021, it had already saved around £115m by working more efficiently.But the finances of this council and others across the country are under massive strain, with many facing budget shortfalls because of rising costs and increasing demand for services.
Doge was launched in June this year after Reform UK took control of 10 local authorities in May's local elections.Reform UK said a team of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors would "visit and analyse" local authorities to find "waste and inefficiencies" in budgets.The unit is made up of about 15 volunteers and is run by Yusuf, who quit as party chairman in June, before returning to Reform to head up Doge days later.The party has not revealed the names of any of the volunteers working with Yusuf on Doge.It is modelled on the cost-cutting department set up by US President Donald Trump and previously led by billionaire Elon Musk.Doge in the US has been hampered by legal challenges to its efforts to access the personal financial data of Americans.Reform UK said Kent County Council - which it controls - would be the first local authority to be audited by its Doge team.Officers - effectively civil servants - at the council are deciding how to respond to Doge's request for information.A Kent County Council (KCC) spokesperson said: "Officers at KCC are working closely and positively with the new administration to ensure that they achieve their policy aims, whilst doing so within the appropriate legal and governance frameworks."This collaboration with our newly elected members will ensure that any decisions taken are lawful, reasonable and proportionate, and we will be heading towards key decisions in due course through the governance process."When asked if there had been resistance to Doge's requests for information, a Reform UK source "I don't think there's been pushback as such"."It's more being wary and making sure that everything is legal," the source said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Supermarket begins selling Christmas themed treats in JULY as Brits jet off on their summer holidays
It's the middle of the school summer holidays and the mercury is still riding high – but that hasn't stopped Asda turning its attention to Christmas. Pictures on social media show packets of Maltesers Mini Reindeers and Haribo Merry Mix on display at the supermarket five months before the festive season. One user posted an image of a Cadbury Mini Snowballs chocolate bar they claimed to have bought on July 25. Some of the products were also available to buy on Asda's website. Retail analyst Richard Hyman says he has never come across Christmas items being displayed so early into the year. An Asda spokesman explained: 'We know how important it is for our shoppers to be able to spread the cost of Christmas and we start to see searches for Christmas products on as early as August. Confectionery in particular is one of those items that can be kept aside for those customers who like to get everything prepared in plenty of time.' Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'Every year we say that Christmas is coming earlier, but starting in August has been the norm for some retailers for years. 'For retailers trying to sell us Christmas gifts, there's less mileage in starting in the summer. 'People will shop early, but once they've bought each present, their list is done and dusted. It's why September will usually see the launch of Christmas departments. For supermarkets, there's a huge opportunity to persuade people they're stocking up early, on the understanding they'll end up eating everything and having to do it all over again.' The British Retail Consortium predicted food inflation would rise to 6 per cent by the end of the year and 'pose significant challenges to household budgets, particularly in the run-up to Christmas'. Grocery price inflation rose to 5.2 per cent in July, up from 4.7 per cent and the highest level since January 2024, according to market researchers Worldpanel. Ms Coles added: 'As long as we're not busting the budget, there's no real harm in getting into the festive spirit early.'
The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
Giant new ‘garden village' next to UK holiday hotspot with 1,200 homes, riverside park & shops is finally unveiled
PLANS for a giant new village next to a UK holiday hotspot with 1200 homes have now been unveiled. The proposals to launch Canford Garden Village in Dorset will be essential in tackling the ever-pressing housing crisis in the UK. 3 3 3 The Canford scheme aims to create a new community focusing on family housing and social infrastructure. The site will be located near Wimborne in Dorset, and it is thought to be prime real estate, according to W.H. White. W.H White are behind the plans which were submitted to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP). The plans are to build 1200 new homes across the 230 hectares site, creating a characterful village which is architecturally striking which fits within the landscape. In order to help ease the housing crisis currently taking hold of the UK, it has been reported that 40 per cent of the new buildings will be affordable homes. What's more, it will not be just a housing development, as the plans recognise the need for supporting infrastructure. For example, there will be a community hub, flexible workspaces, community facilities, and a care home. There will also be education and healthcare provision, as well as local infrastructure improvements to ease the pressure that would be placed on surrounding areas. A total of 600 of the homes would be dedicated to first-time buyers, social rent and shared ownership schemes. Scott Worsfold Associates were selected to create a complete design vision. The plans for the site were was unanimously approved for a new sustainable community in March 2021 by the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. The land used to be a former quarry and golf course, and will now be made into a biodiverse community. Current farmland is also earmarked to be turned into 90 hectares of publicly available green space with new habitats and allotments. The proposal has garnered support from various stakeholders, including Dorset Chamber and Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership, who emphasise the economic benefits and job creation potential of the development. However there has been some backlash to the proposals. It was reported that there were critics to the plan due to concerns regarding the potential impact on existing infrastructure, traffic congestion, and highway safety, particularly concerning access to the site from Blandford Road. Some were also concerned about the proximity to existing facilities like Lockyer's Middle School, which could cause longterm disruption. Ward councillor for Bearwood and Merley, Richard Burton, said: "We've had a lot of development in Bearwood and therefore I know my residents will be very worried about this because of the impact it could have." However, he said the scheme is in the very early stages and this scoping application does not mean the local authority is supporting it. 'From a political point of view, I do totally understand that we need more affordable housing in BCP, but just choosing the easiest places to build, which is currently Green Belt, isn't the way forward and it's not sustainable," said Cllr Burton. W.H. White said there would be a commitment to low carbon construction with solar energy, ground source heating and opportunities for localised renewable energy. A spokesperson for W.H. White said: 'The current shortfall in housing supply, combined with well-documented viability challenges of delivering homes on urban land, has prompted renewed interest in strategic and deliverable opportunities such as at Canford Village.' BCP Council previously said it would soon initiate a new call for potential development sites in the conurbation as part of ongoing efforts to deliver new homes. Cllr Millie Earl, leader of BCP Council, previously said: 'It is important that we balance our future development priorities whilst protecting the beautiful area that we live in and the precious natural environment we are so lucky to have.'
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Mortgage prices are falling – should you fix?
A fresh mortgage price war has come to the rescue of hundreds of thousands of borrowers whose cheap pandemic home loans are about to expire. More than 760,000 homeowners' fixed-rate deals are due to come to an end this year. And many of those will be braced for crippling rises of up to £300 a month when they come off loans with interest rates as low as 1 per cent. However, lenders are slashing rates this summer as they compete for business in a 'buyer's market', with a record number of properties for sale. This slowdown in the housing market has caused banks to focus on deals for those who are remortgaging. Figures released by the Bank of England this week showed that the 41,800 remortgages approved last month was the most since October 2022, just after Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget, which sent mortgage rates soaring. On Wednesday the building society Nationwide became the latest lender to cut rates, slashing fixed deals by up to 0.21 percentage points. Shaun Sturgess, a mortgage broker based in Swansea, said: 'For many this is the first window of opportunity in over two years to secure a competitive fixed rate below 4 per cent.' The Bank of England is also expected to cut its base rate to 4 per cent on Thursday after weak growth and a rise in unemployment. This would drive down mortgage costs for the millions of borrowers with tracker or variable-rate deals. The lowest five-year fixed rate available at up to 60 per cent loan-to-value has been cut from 3.96 per cent at the start of May to 3.86 per cent on Thursday from HSBC, while the lowest five-year fix for someone buying a home has stayed the same at 3.88 per cent, available from NatWest. The lowest two-year fix is 3.8 per cent from Santander for someone remortgaging, down from 3.96 per cent at the start of May. While the lowest two-year fix for a buyer is lower, at 3.73 per cent from the same lender, it has been cut by slightly less — down from 3.88 per cent. Some 222,480 homeowners took out five-year fixes between the start of August and the end of December 2020, according to the trade association UK Finance, when the Bank of England base rate was at an all-time low of 0.1 per cent (it is now 4.25 per cent) and fixed mortgage rates could be had for well below 2 per cent. Many took advantage of low pandemic-era interest rates to move to bigger homes, or remortgaged to make home improvements. Between January and August 2020 the average mortgage amount rose from £174,671 to £193,992. Rates then soared after the Bank of England increased the base rate 14 times between December 2021 and August 2023, to a peak of 5.25 per cent, in a bid to tame high inflation. The average mortgage rate hit a peak of 5.74 per cent in July 2023, according to the Bank of England. Five years ago the lowest rate was 1.4 per cent. Someone with a £200,000 25-year mortgage would pay £791 a month, which would rise to £1,056 at a rate of 4 per cent. At a rate of 3.8 per cent, repayments would be slightly lower at £1,034 a month — £264 less a year. Peter Gettins from the broker L&C said: 'Whether you call it a rate war or rate skirmish, banks are keen to compete for your business and are pricing as aggressively as they possibly can. That can only be good news for anyone looking to remortgage or buy.' Borrowers could opt for a tracker deal with a rate that rises and falls in line with the Bank rate. Nationwide's tracker is 0.19 percentage points above Bank rate for two years with no early repayment charge. The mortgage broker Adrian Anderson expects the price war to continue. He said: 'A lot of the banks are fighting for market share. Many will be behind their annual targets because purchase transactions are down, so they will want to try and entice people to take a mortgage with them and increase their loan book.' Aneisha Beveridge from the estate agency Hamptons believes that more competitive rates are increasing affordability for buyers, which will drive house price growth. She said: 'After a sluggish 2024 we expect average house prices across Great Britain to rise 3 per cent year-on-year in the last quarter of 2025, reaching about £277,000.' The average detached house sold for £441,439 in May, according to the Land Registry. A 3 per cent rise in prices would take it to £454,682. • Will you bag a 3% interest rate in the summer mortgage sale? Beveridge added: 'Falling mortgage rates, weakening inflation and rising wages have all helped to ease pressure on household budgets.' Historically, dramatic falls in the Bank's base rate have helped to fuel house price booms, with the 2008 financial crisis and the coronavirus pandemic leading to spikes. The base rate is expected to fall to at least 3.75 per cent before the end of the year. Beveridge said: 'Much of this is already priced in. However, competitive lending — especially for higher loan-to-value products where lending requirements have loosened — should support first-time buyers and second-steppers.' Latest figures from the property website Rightmove put the average rate for a two-year fix at 4.52 per cent, which is 0.74 percentage points lower than the same time last year. The average five-year fix is 4.51 per cent, down 0.36 percentage points compared with June 2024. House prices could also be boosted by high street banks easing the 'stress tests' that are used to make sure borrowers can still afford repayments if their mortgage rate rose. Forecasts by the analyst Oxford Economics predict that the average two-year fixed-rate mortgage with a loan-to-value of 75 per cent could drop from June's 4.32 per cent figure to 4.17 per cent by the end of the year. By July next year it expects this to fall to 4.02 per cent. These falls will support house price growth, with Oxford Economics expecting house prices to hit 3.6 per cent year-on-year growth in the third quarter of the year, and then 2.5 per cent in the final quarter. Edward Allenby from Oxford Economics said: 'We expect house prices to grow, but that growth is expected to soften over the next year. That is because household income growth is likely to slow, whether that is through higher inflation, tighter fiscal policy, frozen thresholds and potentially higher taxes.' In the first quarter of 2025 year-on-year house price growth was 5.5 per cent. An oversupply of homes could also cause price growth to slow. Zoopla reported this week that there were about 553,000 homes up for sale, a record high. • House price boom? Inflation means all is not as it seems Richard Donnell from Zoopla said: 'Price growth is being stunted by the high supply of homes for sale, with 12 per cent more properties on the market than this time last year. 'This supports a 'buyers' market' where there's plenty of choice and offers can be competitive, limiting house price increases.' For homeowners coming to the end of their mortgage term, it looks like a good time to shop around, with significant rate drops for those who want to switch lenders. Gettins said: 'In the last 6 to 12 months the gaps between rates for first-time buyers and those remortgaging have narrowed. Banks are becoming more competitive for those remortgaging as they are for movers, and that's a positive sign for anyone whose deal is maturing.' Analysis by L&C has found that the lowest remortgage rate for a two-year fix is 3.79 per cent, a fall of 0.17 percentage points since the start of May. This has nearly matched the rate for buyers, with the lowest two-year fixed mortgage rate at 3.76 per cent, which is 0.22 percentage points lower than the May equivalent. Experts have said that the high number of people remortgaging is driven by the better rates but also a 'perfect storm' of people coming off their two and five-year mortgages at the same time. Chris Sykes from the mortgage broker MSP Financial Solutions said: 'There have been a series of events that have led to a big remortgage year. 'You probably fixed at five years in Covid before rates rose, and then those getting mortgages two years ago when rates went really high after the Truss budget would have fixed for two years hoping rates would come down.'
