War on waste: symbolism or something serious?
Reform Party ploughs on with its own 'Dolge'
Dolge is dead!
Long live the Dolge!
Yes, if anyone had doubted the Reform Party and its determination to pursue ways of saving money, then they have been rapidly disabused by the news that it is to appoint a cabinet member at County Hall with responsibility for cutting out waste and encouraging prudence.
The county council’s Reform regime is clearly determined to ensure that the momentum behind its drive - such as it is - to eliminate waste is not lost after a shaky start.
As with most things to do with the Dolge initiative, there have been plenty of bumps along the way and the present situation is that Cllr Chris Hespe has been appointed to the cabinet to fill the role.
Before that there was the departure of the finance cabinet member who paid the price for some indiscrete words in which he claimed that the party had not discovered the extent of financial savings it expected.
Cllr Matthew Fraser Moathe fell on his sword after his candour about the success of the scheme and the twin pressures of doing that job with his own.
Mr Hespe’s first priority was keen to ensure everyone understood the scheme was not being abandoned, and he did so with carefully nuanced words which left open a number of doors should things get a little sticky.
He told councillors that “reports of dolge’s death are greatly exagerated; it is alive and kicking and it is not just about cuts. I don’t own either a salami slicer or a chain saw. Dolge is about creating a culture of seeking efficiencies and saving money.”
He challenged the other parties represented on the council to say if they were genuinely interested in some of the initiatives already flagged up by Reform as ways of saving money for the hard-pressed council tax payers. He also reminded those who had previously been in charge of County Hall they had failed to meet that challenge.
Nothing can disguise the fact that local government finance is in an unholy mess and it will take a major effort to put it back on track.
The importance of the scheme to the Reform party was underlined by its leader Linden Kemkaran making the announcement, praising Cllr Hespe for the work he had already done.
In terms of its resonance with the wider public, however, it could be a hard sell. And if inefficiencies are uncovered over time, then Reform will have to face the possibility that simply blaming their political rivals will only go so far.
Messaging around Dolge is designed to exert some pressure on management to make them more cautious when considering the benefits and - horrible word alert - disbenefits.
The irony is that the measure of success will be judged against how much waste there actually is within County Hall; and whether there is a commonly agreed definition of waste.
There is also the delicate question as to what constitutes waste. There have been a few lame jokes about pot plants in offices being a drain on resources and no doubt there will be more.
Either way, Reform appears determined to continue with one of its flagship policies even if it causes some embarrassment along the way.
MEANWHILE, a Freedom of Information request to the council asking for details of whether it had appointed any external contractors and for other details of its Dolge scheme drew a rather odd response:
In relation to the county council’s “efficiency” unit that is investigating potential areas where costs could be cut by the council:
Who has been commissioned to conduct a review of the authority’s expenditure? Please provide relevant details of individuals or companies. Was any of the work put out to tender; if not, why not?
“No individual or organisation has been commissioned to conduct a review of the authority’s expenditure.”
Are outside organisations or individuals on DOGE charging a fee for their work?
Answer: No.
If so, who has been commissioned to conduct a review of the authority’s expenditure? Please provide relevant details of individuals or companies. Was any of the work put out to tender; if not, why not?
“No individual or organisation has been commissioned to conduct a review of the authority’s expenditure.”