OXFORDSHIRE County Council is to be congratulated for seeking to be more transparent over its expenses.
We are now in the third week of the furore over MPs’ expenses and while some of the public may be tiring of the continuing revelations, the overall anger is not subsiding.
What annoyed the public, apart from instances of flagrant abuse of their money, was the lack of acknowledgement from MPs that whatever the rules said, there was a spirit to follow over taxpayer-funded expenses and they patently ignored that.
The county has, to its credit, recognised that if you are going to take taxpayers’ money you should be as open as possible about how it is spent.
It has released its annual figures early and promised to put online expenses month-by-month from now on.
Given the current scandal, it is doubtful many authorities would have released these figures early, knowing an extra level of scrutiny would be applied.
Of course proportionately the amount paid to county councillors in remuneration and expenses is small compared to the MPs, but that’s not the point.
Oxfordshire’s council tax-payers deserve to know how much their representatives are bringing in so they can judge if they think it’s a good deal.
It’s a pity this spirit of openness did not extend to council leader Keith Mitchell, who refused to answer any questions on his own expenses — which unsurprisingly, given his role, are by far the largest.
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