Eric Pickles set out his agenda for transparency in local government this week with a letter to councils urging them to publish all expenses over £500. The move follows the proposition of pay cuts for senior positions of public service and the publication of the COINS database last week – detailing annual government spending at a national level.
Commenting on the most recent diktat handed down to council bosses, the Communities Secretary said:
"Getting council business out in the open will revolutionise local government. Local people should be able to hold politicians and public bodies to account over how their hard earned cash is being spent and decisions made on their behalf. They can only do that effectively if they have the information they need at their fingertips.
"The public should be able to see where their money goes and what it delivers. The swift and simple changes we are calling for today will unleash an army of armchair auditors and quite rightly make those charged with doling out the pennies stop and think twice about whether they are getting value for money.
"Throwing open the council books will open the door to new businesses and encourage greater innovation and entrepreneurism. Organisations that might have been effectively locked out before, including voluntary sector and small business, will be in a much stronger position to pitch for contracts and bring new ideas and solutions to the table."
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