Your right to know? The future for transparency in England
Transparency is a significant theme in public life and impacts on the relationship between citizens and the state and wider aspects of society. It cuts to the heart of democracy, reflecting the ability of informed electors to decide who can best represent them, based on information about how public services are run now, how they were run in the past, and how they might be run in the future. It is also central to the ability of citizens to participate in decision-making between elections. Recent Government policy has emphasised the use of data to support “choice” as a way to influence delivery of services.
This report considers current practice in planning and delivering public services, in providing and interpreting data from a range of sources and by a range of people, focusing on local government, health and education. It considers common challenges to the provision and use of data and explores practical approaches to transparency in the future.
About the Author: Ed Hammond
Ed leads CfGS's work on devolution, transformation and on support to councils and other public bodies on governance and accountability.
