Barton: I'm taking a 'softer' approach to cost-cutting

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE County Council's leader says he wants to identify ways in which the authority can save money within months. Mick Barton says Reform UK's Elon Musk-style DOGE unit will be a "small part" of urgent work to find savings.

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Councillor Barton says he is taking a "softer approach" than other Reform council leaders and that it will be up to him to decide what to do with any findings the unit delivers.

The May 1 elections saw Reform gain control of 12 councils in the UK and the unit has already started looking for savings in Kent.

Reform has already confirmed its group of officials, modelled on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) established by Elon Musk in the White House, will eventually arrive in Nottinghamshire.

But Councillor Barton says the council will start its own work to find savings before it gets here.

A report to senior councillors for a meeting to be held on June 23 points out the predicted council funding gap of £18.5 million for the coming years, saying: "It is proposed that the council undertakes a comprehensive efficiency review encompassing its key financial management, procurement and contract management arrangements.