Government Launches Transparency Website

Prime Minister David Cameron has launched a new website, aiming to give UK citizens greater insight into the month-by-month workings of government.

Known as the ‘transparency’ website, Cameron described the project as a “complete revolution in how government operates”. It will bring together in one place details of ministers’ meetings and public affairs, timetables for implementing policies, staffing structures and salary ranges for top civil servants.

In a posting on the site, the government states its aim of being “the most open and transparent government in the world” and encourages feedback on the website from users. Meanwhile, more information will be added to the pages over the next two years – namely details on government contracts and how tax money is spent.

“Instead of bureaucratic accountability to the government machine, these business plans aim to bring in a new system of democratic accountability – accountability to the people,” said Cameron at the launch.

Tracking monthly progress

Under the new plans, individual departments will be required to produce a monthly progress report, detailing when projects are due to start, due to end and what progress has been made. Departments which fail to adhere to the agreed timetable will have to account to the Prime Minister.

The new site reveals that three projects are already overdue – including two at the Cabinet Office relating to publishing details of big IT projects and guidance about the cost of IT projects.

The government has made attempts in the past to appear open and transparent, even setting up a Public Sector Transparency Board in June to ensure that public data is freely available. However, a study by Informatica in August showed that more than two thirds of UK citizens do not believe they have sufficient access to government data about themselves, and more than three quarters want more access to public sector information.

“People expect to find the information they need online to support informed decision making,” said Charles Race, vice president of Northern Europe at Informatica, at the time. “The government’s proposal to create greater transparency within the public sector is an admirable initiative. However it is important to ask whether the practical implications of what is being promised have been taken fully into account.”

Some of the government’s policies regarding transparency have also been criticised by the Labour Party, in particular with regard to the government’s plans to scrap targets, which the Prime Minister believes encourages short-term thinking. However, according the the BBC, Labour’s Liam Byrne warned against “ripping up targets” without an alternative in place to guarantee public service standards.