The Important questions for the Barnet Council elections in May - NumberThe Important questions for the Barnet Council elections in May - Number 3

Today is question no 3 in our series dedicated to looking at the important questions which face voters in Barnet as we approach the Council elections on May 6th.

Question No 3.
Secrecy Culture. Many independent commentators on both  the left and right of the political  world have criticised the secrecy culture in Barnet Council. Only yesterday this blog detailed how Barnet Council hid the details of how much it was paying "consultants" who had been awarded a contract without even looking for cheaper bids. Given that the money belongs to us, this is a scandal. If you want to know how much Mayor of London Boris Johnson gets paid for expenses or how many free dinners he has, paid for by other people, the Greater London Authority (GLA) have a website where you can find out. This is because, for all his faults, Boris Johnson knows that a culture of secrecy is a culture of corruption and inefficiency. If you want to find out about anything the GLA spent more than £1000 on, they have a website where you can find out. As a result of this I know that in January, the GLA paid a company called Urban Design a grand total of £16,243.22 for "consultancy fees". Now if I was a competitor of Urban Design and I'd bid for that contract and I'd only wanted to charge £10,000 I'd know they charged more and I could raise it. This would mean the GLA knows they get best value for money. In the Conservative run London Borough of Barnet, things are done slightly different. If I want to find out about the Mayor of Barnets free dinners, I have to make an appointment, in office hours to view the register. If I want to know about his expenses, I have to submit a Freedom of Information request and if I'm lucky and he agrees I will eventually get to see it. If I want to know how much Richard Ellis Consultants got paid to advise the Borough on privatising it's land assetts, I'd have to burgle the council offices, rifle through Brian Reynolds desk and find the relevant papers. They have deemed this "confidential". I can guarantee that if all of this was in the open, the taxpayer would get better value. The Conservative Council in Windsor did just that and Council tax has been significantly cut, as savings have piled up. Sadly Barnet Council has gone the other way and gets more secretive with every day. If you want lower taxes, this is a simple way to get the best value from councillors, executives and suppliers.

Question No 3.

Do you believe that the culture of excessive secrecy within Barnet Council should come to an end?

Where do the Parties stand on the issue?

Barnet Conservatives : They've been in power for nearly nine years and they've shown they are committed to keeping us all in the dark about everything.

Barnet Lib Dems : Open government is a key Lib Dem principle and policy. The Lib Dems will sweep away the secrecy culture and institute open and honest administration in Barnet.

Barnet Labour : They have not stated their policy on openness and transparency within Barnet Council.

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REMEMBER  - WHETHER THIS SECRECY CULTURE CONTINUES IS DOWN TO HOW YOU VOTE ON MAY 6TH

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Other parties and independent candidates are welcome to leave comments outlining their position on this issue. Comments will only be deleted if off subject, racist, sexist or abusive. This is a debate we must have