Lib Dems call for more openness at the Town Hall

10.30.00pm GMT Tue 3rd Nov 2009

Lib Dems want the Council to be more open how taxpayers' money is spent

Barnet Liberal Democrats are backing proposals to publish all Council expenditure over £500. Cllr Jack Cohen, leader of the Liberal Democrat Group is welcoming plans, which if implemented will give residents access to how the Council spend taxpayers' money. Cllr Cohen believes the Tory Administration has a poor record on transparent transactions and accountability but nevertheless he welcomes their belated attempt to improve.

Cllr Cohen says the Liberal Democrats will be backing the scheme but will be seeking assurances that the information will be presented in a way that the public will understand. Cllr Cohen says " It is about time Barnet came clean with our residents about how their money is spent. . Typically however the Conservatives are not making it clear how they will go about this."

Cllr Cohen is concerned that the Conservatives are simply paying lip service to open government. "We will be calling for cast iron guarantees that all expenditure over £500 is published on line. But just as important we will be insisting that the information is readily understandable. We want the name of the supplier to be made public and we will want the information to include a description of what type of service is being provided for the money. In addition we want the council to identify any expenditure which is over budget."