From the 1st September, all expenses claimed to be published online.
From September 1st, all expenses claimed by Councillors for carrying out their duties will be published online. The move follows the recent announcement by Council Leader, Peter Thompson that changes needed to be made:
“This improvement is being made in the context of wider public concerns about expenses claimed by elected representatives, particularly Members of Parliament.
“I am clear that the proper approach to this has to be one of complete openness and transparency; the public we serve have a right to know what expenses we claim in order to carry out our democratic duties effectively. To do other than this simply creates an atmosphere of suspicion and a lack of trust.
“It is also proper that our residents should know what expenses have been claimed by the most senior council officers, so these will be published at the same time.”
A review of how the council manages and responds to Freedom of Information requests will take place later this year with a report on the findings expected to be presented to the Executive in the autumn.
July 30, 2009