Council Payments to be Published Online as Drive to Open up the Council Continues

As part of the Liberal Democrats' ongoing drive to open up Bedford Borough Council since the election of Mayor Dave Hodgson, Council payments greater than £1,000 will be published online. The announcement was made last night at a meeting of the Council's Executive by Liberal Democrat Finance Portfolio Holder Cllr Michael Headley, as he presented the Council's proposed budget for the coming year.

Commenting, Cllr Headley said: "We are committed to opening up the Council to residents in all areas, and that includes being open and transparent about what it spends it money on. In the current economic climate it is vital that local taxpayers can see exactly where their money goes. That is why we will introduce the system of online publishing of all payments to suppliers over £1,000.'

"We have pledged to minimise waste and do all that we can to ensure that every penny of council expenditure delivers for local residents. That has been our focus as we have pored over the budget over the past weeks and months, identifying over £9 million of savings to bring a predicted 11.5 per cent council tax rise down to just 2.3 per cent. It is not enough for me just to say that we are being careful with taxpayers' money, though, when we can actually demonstrate to residents exactly where their money goes."

Bedford Borough Council will become one of the first Councils in the country to publish details of individual payments online for residents to see. The initiative will list all payments to suppliers across all Council departments, in a move to maximise financial transparency.