Reform UK's DOGE promises amounted to little elsewhere - so why will Southport be different?
The party's cost-cutting enterprise has failed elsewhere but is being billed as a key part of it its plan for Southport
Hello and welcome to the midweek edition of The Southport Lead.
In exactly 50 days, voters will go to the ballot boxes for local elections which will see every single seat contested on Sefton Council. All out elections are rare here but boundary changes mean 2026 is the first year in more than two decades to see such an event.
It comes at a very unusual time in national politics where the two main parties are both polling badly , with Reform UK boasting significant support, the Green Party enjoyed renewed confidence after winning the Gorton and Denton by-election, and the Lib Dems having picked up plenty of council seats.
In Sefton, Labour currently has a large majority but the other parties will sense an opportunity. In particular, Reform UK hope to make big gains and, if their campaign talk is to be believed, have serious hopes of taking control of the council as in nearby Lancashire.
Today’s edition focuses on one of the party’s big promises - to bring in DOGE to examine the council’s finances - and how this has played out at the other authorities it controls.
Southport briefing
☕ Planning permission has been granted for a drive-through Starbucks to be built in Scarisbrick. The American coffee giant will redevelop the Southport Road site which was last occupied by Ormsby Memorials. As previously reported by The Southport Lead, the family business used the site for more than 50 years with the memorial manufacturing being an addition to the main income which came from making and selling church supplies such as pews, altars and lecterns. The family downsized to a site in Southport as demand reduced and now local firm Crompton Property Developments has gained planning approval for the Starbucks plan. The application says the plan will create 20 jobs with opening hours of 6.30am-11pm include a car park with 28 spaces.
🏌️ Community and voluntary groups will be able to apply for grants of up to £20k from the organisers of The Open. The major golf event returns to the Royal Birkdale this summer and The R&A is giving away money in a scheme which it says aims to create a lasting, positive legacy. Applicants will need to address one of four areas identified by Greenlinks, the sustainability programme for The Open, which include low carbon solutions, moving towards a circular economy, protecting and enhancing nature, and delivering meaningful social value for local people. Applications will be reviewed and scored by a panel including representatives from The R&A, Sefton Council and other local stakeholders. Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Chief Championships Officer at The R&A, said: “The Open Legacy Fund is about ensuring that hosting The Open delivers tangible, long-term benefits for the local communities in which it is staged each year. In Southport, we want to support projects that reflect local priorities, strengthen communities and contribute to a more sustainable future.” Beneficiaries in 2017 included improvements to Southport Pier, a training pathway scheme providing opportunities in the leisure and sports sector for residents not in work, and improvements made to Birkdale Common.
🚯 Sefton Council has supported government’s proposals to give motorists penalty points on their driving licences if caught fly-tipping as part of its forthcoming Waste Crime Action Plan. According to the local authority, clearing illegally dumped waste cost it £350,000 last year and leaders say they would welcome further tools to deter fly-tipping and strengthen enforcement. Cllr Peter Harvey, Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Cleansing, said: “This is exactly the sort of practical, powerful approach that many of our residents are telling me they want. Linking offences to driving licences has the potential to be a strong deterrent, particularly for repeat offenders who rely on vehicles to dump waste illegally. In Sefton, we have significantly stepped up our enforcement action, raising penalties to up to £1,000, doubling the size of our enforcement team, and deploying CCTV to catch offenders in the act. In the last month alone, we have issued seven fixed penalty notices and secured a successful prosecution for a man who committed a fly-tipping offence, here in Sefton. We also know that rogue waste operators in white vans, often tempt residents with cheap deals on social media, only to dump household waste across Sefton. These proposed measures will help clamp down on this behaviour.”
🏎️ The centenary of Sir Henry Segrave’s record breaking drive on Ainsdale beach was marked by his Sunbeam Tiger recreating the journey. Sir Henry set the world land speed record to 152.33mph on March 16, 1923 and 100 years later a weekend of celebrations culminated with the original car returning to the beach. This time it was current land speed record holder and Segrave Trophy recipient Wing Commander Andy Green at the wheel of the bright red Sunbeam Tiger and at a much reduced speed.
Reform UK’s DOGE promises amounted to little elsewhere - so why will Southport be different?
By Jamie Lopez
Reform UK’s plans for Sefton Council have been questioned amid promises to bring in cost-cutters who have failed to find savings in any other area.
Reform’s Southport branch has named bringing in ‘DOGE’ among its key priorities if it enjoys success in the upcoming local elections despite the idea having either proving unsuccessful or non-existent in councils already run by the party.
Styled on the Department of Government Efficiency which was brought in by Elon Musk to find savings in the US government but achieved only a tiny fraction of its promises while devastating vital services, the Department of Local Government Efficiency (DOLGE) was a centrepoint of Reform’s promises before last year’s elections.
Then, the party saw huge success to take control of 10 councils, including neighbouring Lancashire County Council where it now holds 53 of the 84 seats available. However, despite repeated promises about DOLGE visits being imminent, no visit ever took place. It had since raised council tax by 3.8%, a level lower than many other councils but in contradiction with some of its election materials which promised tax cuts.
In Kent County Council, seen as Reform’s flagship council, party officials did make a visit and gain access to council accounts and documents but councillors later conceded that no significant savings were found.
