Councils will be asked to publish an organisational chart including the names and responsibilities of staff paid over £58,200 - equivalent to the lowest Senior Civil Service pay band. Ministers believe this will give the public the full picture of a council's management composition.
This is a new requirement - since 31 January councils have had to details for purchases over £500 and salary details of top management.
Pickles said:
"The taxpayer has a right to look under the bonnet of their Town Hall and see what decisions are being made on their behalf and where their money is being spent.The DCLG has published a draft Code of Recommended Practice for Local Government Data Transparency for consultation - the closing date for comments is 14 March 2011.
"Transparency must be the underlying principal behind everything councils do. Every aspect of council business should be open to public scrutiny including senior pay, councillor expenses, local services and voluntary sector funding. This can help save money in tough times, protecting the frontline by cutting waste and unnecessary costs."
There have been calls for other agencies (including housing associations) in receipt of public funds to meet similar standards - the Homes and Communities Agency is expected to impose some transparency requirements on housing associations receiving development grant.
Public Finance reports that Nottingham City Council is refusing to publish all spending over £500 online unless it is forced to do so by law.
ReplyDeleteLabour deputy leader of the council Graham Chapman said: ‘We have said that we will publish accounts over £500 if it becomes a legal requirement to do so. We are happy for information to be transparently available for public scrutiny but feel that the time and money needed to implement this change is wasteful and a distraction at a time when we are coping with £60m of cuts in government funding.
‘The government talks about localism but as this issue shows, it seems intent on interfering at every opportunity.’