THE City of Edinburgh Council has now set its budget for the coming year with meeting yesterday hearing proposals from all party groups on how to spend the £1.3bn.
In a bizarre amendment from the Conservative group though, raised by Councillor Whyte representing the Craigentinny/Duddingston ward, the party suggested developing a data analytics team to mimic Elon Musk’s infamous Department of Government Efficiency.
Combined with zero-based budgeting, a type of budgeting that sees all expenses justified, the data analytics proposal was called “A Department of Council Efficiency in the making”.
It was suggested by councillor Whyte that the data analytics team would allow the council to see where they have gaps in services, where they are spending money well and would theoretically allow them to revamp their services.
Following his speech calling the proposed amendment a Department of Council Efficiency, Councillor Whyte commented that it was “something that [the Conservative group] would very much like to see”.
Introducing his amendment with a quote from former Republican US President, Ronald Reagan, the Tory councillor said: “The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that Government spends too much.”
Whyte then laid out his idea for a Department of Council Efficiency (DOCE) in mimicry of X owner Elon Musk’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency, wherein the 53-year-old occupies a senior advisor role to President Donald Trump.
Suggesting a new data analytics team and zero-based budgeting be combined to ensure funds are allocated appropriately and spent well, the hypothetical DOCE would scrutinise council work to provide a clear picture of gaps in services and funding.
The data analytics team suggested by councillor Whyte was something he claimed “must” be introduced.
Councillor Whyte’s amendment was met with concerned glances and chuckles from other councillors in the chamber though.
The Conservatives secured £500,000 of funding for the council’s data analytics team at all-council meeting yesterday.
The Labour administration’s budget was passed at the meeting with support from the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives.
The Conservative amendment says the party: “Recognises the need for a strong Data Analytics team to drive digital transformation; therefore, approves the use of £0.5m from reserves over two years to fund meaningful, actionable insights to drive decision making.”
While the Conservative budget report states the party: “Welcomes the new commitment to cost and performance benchmarking for improving performance as well as introducing zero-based budgeting to enable the re-prioritisation of resources.”
