Council opens its books to Brighton and Hove taxpayers

Council taxpayers in Brighton and Hove are being given an opportunity to look at the council’s books.

The council published a public notice yesterday (Friday 8 June) to advertise the public’s inspection rights – as the law requires.

The annual audit of Brighton and Hove City Council’s accounts includes the chance to “inspect and make copies of the accounts and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts relating to them”.

The opportunity to look at the books for the most recent financial year – to the end of March – starts in just over a fortnight and runs for four weeks.

Electors and their representatives can ask to see the relevant documents at the council’s headquarters – King’s House in Hove – from Monday 25 June to Friday 20 July from 9am to 4.30pm.

The council, which has an annual budget of more than £700 million, already works with the Openly Local website to publicise its spending.

And the government has told all councils to make public details of any spending over £500 the aims are to identify possible savings and to try to prevent fraud and errors.

The biggest beneficiary over the past few years, according to figures on Openly Local, was housing contractor Mears, which has billed for work costing more than £34 million.

Kier, the company that built the new Brighton Aldridge Community Academy at Falmer, received more than £20 million.

Brighton and Hove Buses received £14.5 million. Its contracts are currently under review.

Carlisle Staffing, which recruits temporary and agency staff for the council, received more than £6.7 million.

NSL, which enforces parking, and Sussex Community NHS Trust both received more than £5 million.

The council has more than 4,500 suppliers and spends almost a fifth of is budget – about £140 million – on running the city’s schools.