Council spending

As part of our commitment to being open and transparent, we publish all spending over £250. This helps ensure visibility into how public funds are being used.

We publish monthly spending on the 25th of the following month or the first working day thereafter. This schedule keeps spending data current and easily accessible.

We aim to publish as much information as possible, taking into account our obligations under data protection laws. In some cases, personal names are replaced with 'Personal Payment' to protect individuals' privacy, such as payments made to foster carers. This ensures compliance with privacy regulations while maintaining transparency.

VAT is not included in the listed payments, except in cases where the council cannot reclaim it.

Where files include items below £250, it's because they are part of a single payment of more than £250, split between two or more types of expenditure. This ensures accurate reporting of combined expenses.

In addition to spending over £250, we publish all posted Purchase Card (PCard) expenditure, which is published three months after the statement period. This delay allows for accurate reconciliation and reporting of expenses.

We publish data in comma-separated values (CSV) format. This format can be loaded into various applications, including spreadsheet programs, for further analysis. For ease of use, we have produced an explanation of the data (PDF 52.8KB), which provides details about the content of these files.

We subscribe to the government’s open government licence (PDF 81.8KB) for the reuse of spending and salary information. This licence promotes the sharing and reuse of public sector information.

Prompt payment performance

In accordance with regulation 113 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, below is our prompt payment performance data. This shows our commitment to paying suppliers within agreed timeframes.