4 October 2010
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has praised councils that have published details of all spending above £500 three months early, and warned that the rest are failing their residents on accountability.
A total of 67 local authorities in England have now opened up their books, 64 working days ahead of the January 2011 deadline.
The Local Government Association has published guidance for authorities putting spending data online, stressing it should be clear, easy to understand, licensed for companies or individuals to reuse, and formatted for easy processing.
Pickles praised the move, and commended the councils ‘brave enough to face public scrutiny so far.’
He added: ‘The public have a right to see how their council tax is being spent so they know they are getting value for money and the best possible services.’
Pickles said there are ‘hundreds of computer whizzes’ who would be able to find creative uses for the information.
He highlighted a tool
developed by Redbridge Council called ‘YouChoose', which gives members of the public the chance to try to balance the
council’s budget themselves
The LGA is sponsoring the
scheme to make it available to all councils
Pickles’ comments come a day after his own department publishedall spending above £500 for the current financial year – a significant step beyond the government’s pledge to release information on all spending over £25,000.
