Transparency Code

Posted by NPC Admin on 11 June 2017, 8:23 pm

The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 was issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government in February 2015 to meet the Government’s desire to place more power into citizen’s hands, to increase democratic accountability, and to make it easier for local people to contribute to the local decision-making process and help shape public services. The Government believes that in principle all data held and managed by local authorities should be made available to local people unless there are specific sensitivities (e.g. protecting vulnerable people or commercial and operational considerations) to doing so.

The Code ensures that local people can now see and access data covering how money is spent, the use of assets, decision making and issues important to local people. The code applies to a town or parish council which has a gross annual turnover not exceeding £25,000. The code is to be implemented from April 2015.

Smaller authorities with a turnover of under £25,000 per annum should now publish:
All items of expenditure above £100
End of Year accounts
Annual Governance Statement
Internal Audit report
A list of councillors and their responsibilities
Minutes, agendas and meeting papers of all formal meetings

As the Village website is unable to accommodate all the information that is now required to be published, the Parish Council has taken the decision that, in order to comply with the Code, it had to establish its own website.