#1
Announced today:-
* We will require public bodies to publish online the job titles of every member of staff and the salaries and expenses of senior officials paid more than the lowest salary permissible in PayBand 1 of the Senior Civil Service pay scale, (£54,200)
* We will require anyone paid more than the Prime Minister in the centrally funded public sector to have their salary signed off by the Treasury.
* We will introduce new protections for whistleblowers in the public sector.
* We will require all councils to publish meeting minutes and local service and performance data.
* We will require all councils to publish items of spending above £500, and to publish contracts and tender documents in full.
* We will ensure that all data published by public bodies is published in an open and standardised format, so that it can be used easily and with minimal cost by third parties.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
#2
Nothing new there, it is all available via the Freedom of Information Act... however reporting every spend over £500 would be an absolute administration nightmare !!
Been nice knowing you :)
#3
Paul. Administration nightmare? I think not.
It's already used by Windsor and Maidenhead Council.
To quote Cllr David Burbage, Leader, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
'I can confirm that we did indeed set the £500 figure following in a motion I proposed to Council last year. It is especially pleasing to see it make it through to the coalition agreement.
I can also confirm that it doesn't cause massive administrative overhead as much of the publishing is achieved automatically by an invoice output from our finance system database, just using a £500 threshold.'
Plus I should not have to have recourse to FOI. Just how many of the useless buggers am I paying over £54,200 to?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#4
don't be so stingy bob, our betters need our money to spend on themselves.
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
#5
Howard check out DDC site Councillors and how much they earn.
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#6
you seem to be missing the point john.
we're discussing officers not councillors.
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
#7
Not really Bob, it is easy to produce as it is what I do, but I do think it clouds the bigger issues and probably causes more questions that it asks.
I do think that Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead do need to present their data and spell right !! It isn't the most interesting of reading...
http://www.rbwm.gov.uk/public/finance_supplier_paments_2010_q1.pdfBeen nice knowing you :)
Guest 693- Registered: 12 Nov 2009
- Posts: 1,266
#8
Is Reading in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, then? A bit chavvy for Liz & Phil, I'd have thought.
True friends stab you in the front.
#9
Hang on a mo. I'm getting confused here. I thought it was cuddly Labour folks who believed in freedom of information What the heck do these coalition boys think they are playing at. I want cuts, cuts, CUTS!!!!!!
#10
if those are the whole of the issues I have these comments :
DTC already do that.
if its any more detailed then it will require more staff time and consequent costs £500 seems a very low limit but i am not worried by a number only the time needed to prepare information when we are all looking at the bottom line.
Its all very well for a councilor with a Finance department and expensive software to make such statements but lets see how it works out in practice for the smaller authorities who dont have those facilities - are we supposed to buy in systems?
Generally I , personally , am in favour of more openness and you will see that this year our website has much more information on it and will get more as time progresses but dont please hamper that process with setting standards that require large investment.
Personal opinion only!!
