Following the Money: what is the future of local government openness in England? | Thursday 25th April @ 13:00 – 14:00
Following the Money: what is the future of local government openness in England?
Thursday 25 April 2024 13:00 to 14:00, Online
Joint UK Open Government Network/Centre for British Political Life Event
What role can transparency play as local government faces an unprecedented crisis? On paper, local government is one of the most transparent parts of the public sector, and citizen and others can use FOI, audit rights or Open Data to monitor what is happening. Yet too few people use them, and various rights are hard to use or enforce amid delays and severe funding cuts. A panel of journalists, academics and campaigners ask how can openness help? This event focuses on England, where major audit controls were abolished by the Coalition government, and there is widespread concern that financial transparency is seen as working particularly poorly in 2024.
Panellists include:
Josiah Mortimer, Chief Reporter, Byline Times
Ben Worthy, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Birkbeck College (University of London)
Megan Waugh, Director, Research for Action
Mel Stevens, CEO, The Centre for Local Governance and Scrutiny