Government publishes transparency code; to include employees earning over £58,000

The government is to ask all councils to disclose the identities and duties of all employees earning over £58,000 per annum as part of its new Code of Recommended Practice for Local Government data transparency, published in draft form today.

Under the draft code, which is open for consultation until 14 March, councils will be asked to provide organisational charts and the names, budgets and responsibilities of staff paid more than £58,200 per annum. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has also included grants and payments under contract to the voluntary community and social enterprise sector on the list of information that the government will expect councils to make public. 

Councils will also be expected to respond to public demand for more information, where residents decide what data is important, so they can see exactly where their tax pounds go and how their council is performing. The code also recommends a public inventory should be registered on the government's central information hub (www.data.gov.uk).

The full draft list of datasets which the government expects councils to make available are as follows: 

*      expenditure over £500, (including costs, supplier and transaction information)
*      grants and payments under contract to the voluntary community and social enterprise sector
*      names, budgets and responsibilities of staff paid over £58,200 – equivalent to the lowest Senior Civil Service pay band
*      an organisational chart
*      councillor allowances and expenses
*      copies of contracts and tenders to businesses and to the voluntary community and social enterprise sector
*      policies, performance, audits and key indicators on the authorities' fiscal and financial position
*      data of democratic running of the local authority including the constitution, election results, committee minutes, decision-making processes and records of decisions.

The code has been published under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, which gives the Secretary of State the power to issue a code about the publication of information by local authorities about the discharge of their function. Although the code is not binding, the Act empowers the Secretary of State to introduce subsequent regulation should that be necessary to enforce greater transparency, which the Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles, has threatened to do if a significant number of councils do not comply.

Eric 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. I asked all councils to put online everything they spend over £500 and I commend the majority have had the good sense to lead this transformation in transparency. Today I'm publishing a new code that will help decipher the Town Hall maze of middle management, bringing more public information to light. This will also give the few remaining refuseniks a clear game plan to follow.

"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."

The full code can be downloaded here: codepracticeladataconsult