Data Transparency
The Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities came into effect on 1 April 2015. The Code was issued to meet the Government’s desire to place more power into citizens’ hands to increase democratic accountability.
Transparency gives local people the tools and information they need to hold local public bodies to account. The Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 sets out a new audit framework for local public authorities which are currently covered by the Audit Commission regime.
The Code does not replace or supersede the existing framework for access to and re-use of public sector information provided by the:
- Freedom of Information Act 2000 (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012)
- Environmental Information Regulations 2004
- Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005
- Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community regulations 2009
- Sections 25 and 26 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 which provides rights for persons to inspect a local authority’s accounting records and supporting documentation, and to make copies of them.
Brampton Bierlow Parish Council meets the definition of a local authority covered by the requirements of the Code defined as:
Brampton Bierlow Parish Council has a gross annual expenditure exceeding £160,000
Requirements:
Information relating to compliance with the transparency code can be found on this page and within other pages of the website, such as: -
- Minutes of Full Council Meeting.
- Statutory Documents.
View the full Local Government Transparency Code 2015
Local Authorities are required to make their constitution documents available for inspection at their offices under section 9P of the Local Government Act 2000. Local Authorities must also, under the code, publish their constitution on their website.
Brampton Bierlow Parish Council's constitution is made up of the Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and The Code of Conduct. These documents can be found in the Policies section of this website.
The code requires that local authorities must publish the following information about their counter fraud work:
- Number of occasions they use powers under the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud (Power to Require Information) (England) Regulations 2014, or similar powers
- Total number (absolute and full time equivalent) of employees undertaking investigations and prosecutions of fraud
- Total number (absolute and full time equivalent) of professionally accredited counter fraud specialists
- Total amount spent by the authority on the investigation and prosecution of fraud
- Total number of fraud cases investigated
Brampton Bierlow Parish Council has no staff members undertaking fraud investigation work and therefore has no information to publish.
The code requires that local authorities must publish on their website, or place a link on their website to this data if published elsewhere:
- A breakdown of income and expenditure on the authority’s parking account, including details of revenue collected from on-street parking, off-street parking and Penalty Charge Notices
- A breakdown of how the authority has spent a surplus on its parking account
Brampton Bierlow Parish Council has no chargeable parking and therefore has no information to publish.
The code requires that local authorities must publish the number of marked or controlled on and off street parking spaces within their area, or an estimate of the number of spaces where controlled parking space is not marked out in individual parking bays or spaces.
Brampton Bierlow Parish Council has 13 off road parking spaces at the Parish Hall; there is no fee associated with these parking spaces.
The code requires that local authorities must publish the pay multiple on their website, defined as the ratio between the highest paid taxable earnings for the given year (including base, salary, variable pay, bonuses, allowances and the cash value of any benefits-in-kind) and the median earnings figure of the whole of the authority's workforce.
The measure must:
- Cover all the elements of remuneration that can be valued
- Use the median earnings figure as the denominator, which should be that of all employees of the local authority on a fixed date eacy year, coinciding with reporting at the end of the financial year
- Exclude changes in pension benefits, which due to their variety and complexity cannot be accurately included in a pay multiple disclosure
Brampton Bierlow Parish Council's pay multiple is 2.17
The code requires that local authorities must publish details of every invitation to tender for contracts to provide goods and/or services with a value that exceeds £5,000.
For each invitation, the following details must be published:
- Reference Number
- Title
- Description of the goods and/or services sought
- Start, end and review dates
-
Local authority department responsible
Brampton Bierlow Parish Council do not hold a government procurement card.
Details of every invitation to tender for contracts to provide goods and/or services with a value that exceeds £5,000 during the last financial year will be published here, as required
Local authorities must publish details of the value of social housing stock that is held in their Housing revenue Account.
The following social housing stock data must be published:
- Valuation data to be listed at postal sector level
- Valuation data for the dwellings using both Existing Use Value for Social Housing and market value as at 1 April
- An explanation of the difference between tenanted sale value of dwellings within the Housing revenue Account and their market sale value
Brampton Bierlow Parish Council does not hold any social housing stock and therefore has no information to publish.
The code requires that local authorities must publish the following information on trade union facility time:
- Total number (absolute number and full time equivalent) of staff who are union representatives
- Total number (absolute number and full time equivalent) of union representatives who devote at least 50 per cent of their time to union duties
- Names of all trade union represented in the local authority
- A basic estimate of spending on unions
- A basic estimate of spending on unions as a percentage of the total pay bill
Brampton Bierlow Parish Council has no staff members who are union representatives and therefore has no information to publish.