Harlow Council publishes spending over £500
Harlow Council has started publishing
details of its spending over £500 as part of the Government’s move
to improve transparency across Local Government.
Harlow Council is one of the first councils in
Essex and one of only a few in the country so far to open its books
in this way.
The Council has put all payments made to
suppliers above £500 on-line at ww.harlow.gov.uk/spendinginthespotlight
and will continue to update the website every three months
(quarterly).
The list includes a description of spend,
the amount and supplier's name. The first list covers the
period 1 April 2010 to 30 June 2010 and includes both revenue and
capital expenditure.
In June 2010 Communities Secretary Eric
Pickles urged all Councils to publish details of all spending over
£500 in full and on-line by January 2011 as part of wider action to
bring about a revolution in town hall openness and
accountability.
Councillor Andrew Johnson, Leader of Harlow
Council, said: “We welcome this move to improve transparency and
openness. That’s why we are one of the first councils in Essex to
publish on-line details of spending above £500. It’s our residents’
hard earned money so it is only right they see where it is being
spent and we want to be held to account. This can only help drive
out any waste in the Council.
“We already publish the salary details of
Senior Officers on our website and our members’ allowances. We are
always looking at ways to do things smarter and better to provide
value for money for our residents and shining a spotlight on our
spending is part of doing just that.”