Local Government: Disclosure of Information
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's Local government transparency code 2015, last updated 29 January 2025, if she will make edits to the Code to support the consistent publication of local government data in accessible open data formats including via public application programming interfaces.
Answered by Jim McMahon
We are keeping the Code under review in the context of work to fix the foundations of local government and ensuring that it continues to support local accountability. Currently local authorities are expected to provide data in an open and reusable format – the Code states “Public data should be published in a format and under a licence that allows open reuse, including for commercial and research activities, in order to maximise value to the public”.
Our approach to reforming local government is set out in the English Devolution White Paper. This includes fundamentally reforming the local audit system, rebuilding the vital early warning system to recover a key part of our assurance mechanisms, restoring local government standards, and ensuring transparency.
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