## Notes from 30 March 2026 [[2026-03-29|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2026-03-31|Next note →]] I came across reporting in the [Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/e2bd6be3-4757-404a-a4c6-6a816552346b) (Feb 2026) regarding the "Department of Local Government Efficiency" (DOLGE) in Kent. **Paul Chamberlain**, a [[Reform UK]] councillor, acknowledged that the initiative failed to uncover the "vast waste" the party had promised to cut. After winning control of the council in 2025 with a [[Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)|DOGE-inspired]] mandate, the administration encountered the "iron triangle" of local government: statutory obligations, rising demand, and a decade of previous austerity that had already removed most discretionary spending. The failure of DOLGE highlights the difficulty of translating populist rhetoric into administrative reform. Chamberlain noted that the existing administration had been operating in a businesslike manner, leaving few targets for immediate cuts. The initiative faced further scrutiny when the council was accused of [fabricating £39.5 million in "savings" by scrapping net-zero projects](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/07/reform-run-kent-council-accused-of-fabricating-40m-net-zero-savings) that critics claimed were hypothetical and never funded. This outcome serves as a reality check for movements that underestimate the legal and operational complexity of local government services.