North Northamptonshire Council—under the new Reform UK leadership—has scheduled a comprehensive review of local finances at their first executive meeting since the May 1st elections. The agenda includes an “efficiency review” covering virtually all council spending areas. Notably, the review will be conducted publicly in the council chamber, ensuring full transparency (the meeting is set for June 17 at the Corby Cube).

Reform’s approach differs from the high-profile “shock‑and‑awe” DOGE-style audits deployed elsewhere. In Kent, unelected volunteers from Reform triggered legal scrutiny by council officers and drew criticism—Local Government Chronicle called it “beyond insulting”—over doing things like cancelling nearly 5 meetings for transparency concerns. A headline-grabbing discovery of £350 million in “recruitment advertising” turned out to be part of a national framework, not waste.

The dogged DOGE-style unit—modelled after Elon Musk’s U.S. “Department of Government Efficiency”—was embraced by Reform in June. It began with Kent County Council, led initially by Zia Yusuf and data scientist Nathaniel Fried, but both rapidly resigned. Fried highlighted old IT systems and procurement issues, while insisting the effort stay non-partisan and data-led. Reform UK’s DOGE was launched in June 2025, led first by Fried (resigned June 6) and then Yusuf (appointed June 7).

In North Northamptonshire, Reform Leader Cllr Martin Griffiths, who dislikes the “DOGE” label and resists being directed from Westminster, has reaffirmed that local elected members will lead the review—not an external DOGE team. The council’s internal “Efficiency Review” (led by executive members and the scrutiny committee, not external appointees) will take place over the summer, deliberately shaping next year’s budget with in-year savings and procurement improvements—even seeking cross-party cooperation and officer support.