Nigel Farage's "UK Doge" unit is preparing to descend on a cash-wasting council after Zia Yusuf met with local Reform chiefs to discuss how taxpayers could claw back hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Yusuf, who now heads up Reform's "Doge" unit after quitting as the populist party's chairman last week, visited West Northamptonshire Council on Friday.

Following Friday's initial meeting, Reform now plans to instruct its "Doge" team to identify waste and inefficiencies within the council's budget.

The group will later issue a report to West Northamptonshire's Reform leadership, providing advice for what action to take to end what it regards as "wasteful spending".

GB News recently revealed that Reform compiled a dossier on the wasteful spending of the 10 local authorities it secured overall control of in the 2025 Local Elections.

West Northamptonshire, which returned 41 Reform councillors on May 1, was said to have handed a net zero chief £44,000 to complete the area's local waste strategy.

Neighbouring North Northamptonshire separately forked out £1.1million for a four-year contract to hand out free vapes for people looking to quit smoking.

Reform UK's team of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors intends to visit all 12 councils now controlled by the populist party.

Nigel Farage

Yusuf said: "For too long, British taxpayers have watched their money vanish into a black hole.

"Their taxes keep going up, their bin collections keep getting less frequent, potholes remain unfixed and their local services keep getting cut.

"Reform won a historic victory in West Northamptonshire and around the country on a mandate to change this.

"As promised, we have created a 'UK Doge' to identify and cut wasteful spending of taxpayer money.

Zia Yusuf during his visit to West Northamptonshire

"Our team will use cutting-edge technology and deliver real value for voters."

West Northamptonshire Council Leader Councillor Mark Arnull added: "We fully welcome the assistance Zia and his team have offered to provide to help us uncover waste across council spending.

"Whilst we continue our own work to streamline council finances, the cutting-edge expertise that the 'Doge' team are providing free of charge will make it that much easier to identify waste and free up funds which we can redirect towards frontline public services like SEND provision, adult social care and filling potholes."

Yusuf's visit on Friday came just days before the People's Channel exclusively revealed how Durham County Council's Reform leadership was looking to overhaul the local authority's diversity, inclusion and equity training.

Zia Yusuf with Council Leader Mark Arnull, Deputy Leader James Petter and the Reform UK cabinet on West Northamptonshire Council

Durham County Council leader Andrew Husband, who already welcomed the "positive" decision to rename portfolios to remove references to climate change and equality, told GB News: "These modules do not align with our objectives and having read the small print we can adapt training to satisfy ‘minimum requirements’ whilst staying compliant."

GB News understands that expected alterations include ending the statutory enforcement of DEI training and climate change modules for all 98 Durham County councillors.

A local Reform UK source also suggested that the changes could be made as early as Monday.

However, Reform is now facing growing calls to deliver on its commitment to clampdown on wasteful spending.

Nigel FaragePA

William Yarwood, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Taxpayers are rightly fed up with how local authorities waste their hard-earned money.

"At the same time as they see their council tax bills increasing, they see frontline services crumbling and public spaces in disarray.

"If Reform wants to prove that they're more than just a party of protest, they need to deliver on their promises to clean up local councils."

Reform UK is also hoping to continue to build momentum from its victory in the 2025 Local Elections, with Essex and Norfolk being up for grabs next May.