Transparency of finances introduced for local councils.

**scoobydoo** · 24-05-2010, 11:16 AM

At last local councils will have to publish details of all spending over £500 and details of all contracts and tender documents. This has got to be a good thing as it will not be so easy now to grease someone's palm without anyone knowing. Don't you agree?

**Midas** · 24-05-2010, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by scoobydoo

At last local councils will have to publish details of all spending over £500 and details of all contracts and tender documents. This has got to be a good thing as it will not be so easy now to grease someone's palm without anyone knowing. Don't you agree?

Absolutely, although there are always ways and means to slip cash under the table if you want to, so although this is a very good move, I doubt very much it'll stop the worst cases of palm-greasing. What I hope it might do is to highlight a lot of the waste which goes on and encourage people to examine the local accounts and complain when they see items of expenditure which are totally pointless or preventable.

**uncon** · 24-05-2010, 02:44 PM

Don't forget about using the in-laws names, falsifying documents etc...it's all subject to abuse to be honest.

What I would like to see is local papers actually doing investigative reporting rather than reporting the local flower show over two pages.

Another idea...you know those old farts who do tedious correspondance in the local paper effectively carrying an argument which would take two days here into three months of the letters page in incredible detail and research? I think this could be a new use for their time