Crayke Parish Council, like all similar bodies, must work in an open and transparent way, and be fully accountable to the public who ultimately fund it.
To this end, the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 set out a new audit framework for all local public bodies, including Parish Councils, to publish certain information on-line.
The overall aims of the Act and supportive Transparency Code are to: ‘place more power into citizens’ hands to increase democratic accountability’, to ‘give local people the tools and information they need to hold local public bodies to account’ and to ‘enable local electors and ratepayers to access relevant information about the authorities’ accounts and governance’.
Crayke Parish Council have been successful in securing a ‘one off’ Grant (intended to cover ‘some of the costs’) provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government, which has enabled us to purchase an ‘off the shelf’ website format, which we must now populate with defined information.
Our first priority is to post information relating to the current years activities. Our second priority will be to post the previous year’s information and then past Agenda and Minutes of the Parish Council, in a format that is easily accessible.
As this dedicated website will remain in the ownership and therefore responsibility of the Parish Council, it may be possible to consider in the longer term, how we might best improve communication, through consultation, with the Community of Crayke.
Chairman
Crayke Parish Council