The interim leader of Warwickshire County Council has confirmed that Reform UK's DOGE team will not visit Shire Hall prior to a new leader being elected.

Cllr George Finch made the commitment at Thursday's cabinet meeting but confirmed his party would be "looking at DOGE as a strategy that is going to be implemented" if it remains in power.

Based on Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the United States, Reform UK publicly stated its intention to form a team to crack down on perceived waste within councils ahead of May's local elections and the external unit of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors was parachuted into Reform-controlled Kent County Council and West Northamptonshire Council in June. 

Warwickshire County Council is currently led by Reform but through a minority administration – they do not have the seats for outright control. 

They took power after initial leader Cllr Rob Howard was backed into office by the Conservatives but he stood down after 41 days citing health concerns.

While Cllr Finch is temporarily in charge, the whole council, which is in no overall control, is due to elect a new leader on July 22. 

Depending on support from political rivals, any party's leader could end up with the top job which then gives the winner outright discretion to form an administration as they see fit – in short, despite having the most seats, the lack of a majority means Reform UK could be ousted from power if other votes get stacked against them on the day. 

With 12 days to go until that decisive meeting Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, leader of Warwickshire's Liberal Democrats, the council's second-largest political group, quizzed Cllr Finch.

"At a recent leader's meeting where we spoke about DOGE and particular actions around that, I didn't know when the answers were going to come through," he said. 

"We are still waiting for those answers. If there is going to be a visit and when that would be, and also what impact that may have within the budget-making process, particular savings and work that officers are doing on this project already." 

Cllr Finch replied: "When we had the meeting a while back, when we spoke about DOGE and you asked questions about it, I do hope you can appreciate the changes that have happened in the council in the past few weeks. 

"I did say to you at the LGA (last week's Local Government Association Conference) that these questions will be answered soon. As you can appreciate, a lot of things have changed."

Cllr Roodhouse interjected to ask what was meant by soon.

Cllr Finch added: "We are looking at DOGE as a strategy that is going to be implemented on, for example, things that you asked about, safeguarding, was it going to be a fiscal thing, was it going to be looking into other things.

"Like I said to you, we will be discussing that as cabinet and DOGE will not be here in July 22, it will be coming up after that point."