How to check what people in power have declared

Almost everyone elected to public office in the UK must declare their interests. This is where each register is kept.

Councillors, from parish councils to county councils

The Localism Act 2011 requires the monitoring officer of each council to establish and maintain a register of interests of its members and co-opted members. ¹

The monitoring officer must make the register available for inspection in the council's area and publish it on the council's website. For a parish council, the register is published on the website of the principal council (the district or unitary council) and must be available for inspection in its area. ¹

Parliament, ministers and the devolved legislatures

Our directory of registers lists every one, with the official link: MPs' and peers' interests, the List of Ministers' Interests, donations to MPs and parties, the Privy Council, and the registers kept by the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

After they leave office

Former ministers and senior officials need advice before taking new jobs. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) gave that advice until it closed on 13 October 2025; applications from former ministers now go to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and those from Crown servants to the Civil Service Commission. ²

Sources

legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/20/section/29, read 4 November 2026 · saved copy
gov.uk/government/news/closure-of-the-independent-advisory-committee-on-business-appointments-acoba, read 4 November 2026 · saved copy

More ways to hold power to account

This guide explains the rules; it is not legal advice. Report an error.