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Agency boss helps reporters lift the lid on council spending

A news agency boss has created a new online resource which could help journalists keep the silly season at bay – by uncovering a mine of stories about council spending.

Each year, local authorities are required by law to open up their accounts for public inspection for four weeks.

It can provide journalists with a rich source of stories, for instance revealing what items councillors claimed for on their expenses.

But very few councils publicise the timing of the audit, meaning many journalists miss out on the opportunity.

Now former regional press hack Richard Orange, who now runs Orchard News, has created an online guide which aims to alert reporters to when their local council is opening its books.

Most of them choose to do so during the summer months, when other sources of news are sometimes scarce.

Said Richard: “The reason we’re doing this is that I’ve noticed that it’s very difficult to get hold of this information centrally. Councils don’t have to publicise it on their websites for instance.

“We’re doing this for journalists and for the general public. Most of the time this is something that passes them by.”

Richard said that many journalists had been “distracted” from using the audit powers, which date back to the 19th century, by the more recent introduction of the Freedom of Information Act.

He said: “There’s nothing wrong with using the FOI Act but the Audit Commission Act opens up so much more information to public scrutiny. Under FOI Act councils can withold a lot of information that by law they must provide under the Audit Commission Act.”

The guide can be found by going to Orchard News. There are separate sections for county councils, unitary councils, London and metropolitan councils and police authorities.

Richard added: “I hope journalists will make use of our resource and let me know how they got on.”

County councils whose accounts are currently open for inspection include: Cornwall, Dorset, Kent, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and West Sussex.

The right to inspect local authority accounts has existed since 1848 but is currently enshrined in Section 15 of the Audit Commission Act of 1998.

Comments

Matt (04/07/2008 10:39:59)
Great idea – but why are there blank entries against some councils – ie, no date when their books are open?

Richard Orange (04/07/2008 15:57:35)
Hello Matt and other media colleagues.
Not all authorities have set their statutory inspection dates yet, which is why some fields are ‘blank’. Other authorities have yet to confirm details. The lists are updated daily, so please check back for info, and chase your local authority in case the inspection period is about to expire!

Ben (11/09/2008 01:14:27)
Hi there will you also publish lists on district councils as well?