Oral Answers to Questions

Douglas Carswell Excerpts

Monday 30th January 2012 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Mr Douglas Carswell (Clacton) (Con)]

1. What steps his Department has taken to increase transparency in (a) local government and (b) departmental spending.

[The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Eric Pickles)]

We have replaced the previous Administration’s byzantine bureaucracy with transparency and local accountability. We have asked every council to open up their books and to publish their spending over £500. Every council is doing this, apart from Nottingham city council, which finds it a bit difficult.

My Department is practising what we preach. Not only do we publish our spending over £500, but we have also published every single item of corporate credit card spending since 2004.

[Mr Carswell]

Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating and applauding Tendring district council, which has decided not only to publish items over £500, but to publish all items of expenditure every month? This has created a climate of thrift that has allowed it to cut council tax. Will he ensure that Whitehall Departments, agencies and quangos take similar steps?

[Mr Pickles]

I am happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating Tendring. The council did not make the headlines for many years, but suddenly it has started coming up with lots of new initiatives. It is certainly in the forefront of transparency, and where Tendring leads, I am more than happy to follow.