Reform tech investor's role in cost-cutting drive raises questions over data access

Harriet Green, founder of Basis Capital, is playing a leading role in Reform UK's drive to access sensitive data to identify savings at West Northamptonshire Council. Green is helping Reform's Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) examine records that could reveal waste and inefficiencies. She is the only person Doge has proposed to access council data so far. Green declined to comment, and Reform UK did not respond to requests for comment.

Senior council officers are vetting the arrangement before any access is granted, as they consider a proposal for Green to analyse spending on items such as IT systems and hotels housing asylum seekers. Doge was created after May's local elections with a plan to visit and analyse spending at all councils controlled by Reform UK to identify savings. Progress has been slowed by legal constraints, and Doge has yet to access data at any council; it has visited three councils and plans to visit Lancashire County Council in October.

Basis Capital launched last year and markets itself as an early stage investor aiming to reimagine what governments can deliver. It invests in companies that participate in public procurement and other services, including Civic Marketplace, a platform that connects government buyers with service providers. In an interview with the Spectator earlier this year, Green described Basis as a private fund investing in firms building where the state is failing, and said the aim is to outcompete the state.

Councillor Daniel Lister, Conservative opposition leader at West Northamptonshire Council, raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest given Basis's investments and stated that granting access to council data could create an inside track for firms that aim to outcompete the state. Liberal Democrat group leader Jonathan Harris questioned Green's experience with data handling and with identifying savings at local authorities, and warned that such involvement could run afoul of procurement rules. The council's scrutiny committee would need to review any approval.

Doge is led by Zia Yusuf, Reform UK's head of policy and former chairman, and was inspired by Elon Musk's cost-cutting drives in the United States. It began in June after Reform UK took control of 10 local authorities. While the unit aims to use technology and forensic auditing to deliver value for voters, progress stalled due to data access hurdles; Reform UK councillors have sought savings through other routes.

West Northamptonshire's July cabinet approved a mechanism to review information-sharing arrangements that could pave the way for third-party data access to identify efficiencies and potential savings. The council noted that while the Doge team had met with Reform UK visitors, it reminded that local authorities must not promote or publish material to affect public support for a political party. The council stressed that the Doge team were not employed by Reform UK and were providing services at no cost, but vetting of Doge personnel continued.

Legal and governance concerns persist as Doge expands. Yusuf has repeatedly argued that waste and lack of competition in local government contracts create opportunities for savings, while others worry that data access could grant advantages to entities backed by Basis. Councils in Kent and Lancashire report mixed progress; Kent created a cabinet member focused on local government efficiency and Lancashire's leader says cost-cutting will be challenging.

Green, in remarks to the Spectator, suggested there might be a distinct UK approach to implementing such efforts, while noting that she remains unsure about incentives in the public sector. She declined to comment to the BBC on specifics of this arrangement.

With the West Northamptonshire plan viewed as a potential model for other councils, Reform UK officials say the Doge unit remains active, even as data-sharing barriers persist.