Labour Calls for Open Government Revolution in Calderdale

Calderdale Labour group are calling for what leader Tim Swift is calling an “open government revolution” to open up information and decision making on Calderdale Council.

The call comes in a motion to be debated at the next full Council meeting on Wednesday 17th February 2010.

Speaking to his proposal, Cllr Swift said: “Calderdale Council was once one of the leading councils in the country for openness and access to information, winning national recognition and being promoted as an example of good practice.

“But in recent years, both elected members and members of the public have found it harder to find out what is happening, to access background information, and to know how and why decisions are being made.

“This motion is a call for members across the Council to recognise that we are heading in the wrong direction, and make dramatic changes. We’re proposing some exciting and specific initiatives to demonstrate a new attitude to making information available, and we’re calling for the Council to set up a cross-party committee, reporting directly to the Council, that will be tasked with the job of rewriting the rules to guarantee openness in sharing information and making decisions”.

Proposals in the motion include:-

• A cross-party Open Government Committee to draw up detailed proposals and make sure they are implemented;
• New rules on how information is shared between the Executive (Cabinet) and other councillors;
• Publication of all Freedom of Information requests and responses; and
• An on-line data base of significant expenditure, so that residents know exactly where their Council tax is being spent.