Where can I see my council's spending over £500?
Under the Local Government Transparency Code 2015, councils in England must publish every item of spending over £500, at least quarterly and no later than one month after the quarter ends. Look on your council's website for "spending over £500" or "transparency". Each line shows the date, supplier, amount and service area.
The Code also requires councils to publish purchase card spending, contracts over £5,000, senior salaries, the pay multiple and parking accounts.
Each council publishes its own files, so formats differ and there is no single national database. Lines can be redacted to protect personal data, and a payment's description is the council's own label. If a figure is missing, a Freedom of Information request is the next step.
When is the next figure out?
MHCLG publishes at 9:30am on dates pre-announced on the GOV.UK statistics calendar. Council tax levels for the coming year appear in March, revenue budgets in June, capital outturn and revenue outturn later in the year, and the provisional finance settlement usually in December with the final settlement in February. Live tables on borrowing and capital payments are updated each quarter.
Every official release due in the next two weeks is on the release calendar.
Where the figures come from
- Local government finance statistics (MHCLG, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)Where to find official council spending, council tax, finance settlement, debt and audit data for England, plus Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Related questions
- What do councils spend their money on?
- Can I inspect my council's accounts?
- How do I make a Freedom of Information request?
This answer says where the official figures are published and how they are defined. It gives no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request. More questions about councils and local government: all Councils and local government questions.