Transparency Information

The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 (the code) came into effect on 1 April 2015. The code is issued by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in exercise of powers under section 2 of the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, and replaces any previous codes issued in relation to authorities in England under those powers. The code does not replace or supersede the existing framework for access to and re-use of public sector information provided by the:

  • Freedom of Information Act 2000 (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012)
  • Environmental Information Regulations 2004
  • Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005
  • Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community regulations 2009
  • Sections 25 and 26 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 which provides rights for persons to inspect a local authority’s accounting records and supporting documentation, and to make copies of them.

1  The code requires local authorities in England to publish the following information quarterly:

1.1 Payments £500 or greater 2023-24

1.2  Government Procurement Card Transactions:
The code requires that local authorities must publish details of every transaction on a Government Procurement Card.  Hadlow Down Parish Council does not use a Government Procurement Card and therefore has no information to publish.

1.3  Procurement Information
The code requires that local authorities must publish details of every invitation to tender for contracts to provide goods and/or services with a value that exceeds £5,000.  For each invitation, the following details must be published:

  • Reference number
  • Title
  • Description of the goods and/or services sought
  • Start, end and review dates
  • Local authority department responsible

The code requires that local authorities must also publish details of any contract, commissioned activity, purchase order, framework agreement and any other legally enforceable agreement with a value that exceeds £5,000. For each contract, the following details must be published:

  • Reference number
  • Title of agreement
  • Local authority department responsible
  • Description of the goods and/or services sought
  • Supplier name and details
  • Sum to be paid over the length of the contract or the estimated annual spending or budget for the contract
  • Value Added Tax (VAT) that cannot be recovered
  • Start, end and review dates
  • Whether or not the contract was a result of an invitation to quote or a published invitation to tender
  • Whether or not the supplier is a small or medium sized enterprise and/or a voluntary or community sector organisation and where it is, provide the relevant registration number.

2  Additionally, local authorities are required to publish the following information annually:

2.1  Local Authority Land:
The code requires that local authorities must publish details of all land and building assets including:

  • All service and office properties occupied or controlled by user bodies, both freehold and leasehold
  • Any properties occupied or run under Private Finance Initiative contracts
  • Garages unless rented as part of a housing tenancy agreement
  • Surplus, sublet or vacant properties
  • Undeveloped land
  • Serviced or temporary offices where contractual or actual occupation exceeds three months
  • All future commitments, for example under an agreement to lease, from when the contractual commitment is made

For each land or building asset, the following information must be published together in one place:

  • Unique Property Reference Number
  • Unique asset identity
  • Name of the building/land or both
  • Street number(s)
  • Post town
  • United Kingdom postcode
  • Map reference – either Ordnance Survey or ISO 6709
  • Whether the local authority owns the freehold or a lease for the asset and for whichever category applies, the local authority must list all the characteristics that apply from the options given below:

For freehold assets:

  • Occupied by the local authority
  • Ground leasehold
  • Leasehold
  • Licence
  • vacant

For leasehold assets:

  • Occupied by the local authority
  • Ground leasehold
  • Sub leasehold
  • Licence

For other assets:

  • Free text description eg. Rights of way, access, etc.

Hadlow Down Parish Council publishes this information on its assets register.  The date the register was approved is shown on the document. 

2.2  Social Housing Assets:
The code requires that local authorities must publish details of the value of social housing stock that is held in their Housing revenue Account.  Hadlow Down Parish Council does not hold any social housing stock and therefore has no information to publish.

2.3  Grants to Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Organisations

2.4  Organisational Chart:
Hadlow Down Parish Council employs one member of staff, the Clerk & RFO.

2.5  Trade Union Facility Time:
The code requires that local authorities must publish information on trade union facility time.  Hadlow Down Parish Council has one staff member who is not a union representative and therefore has no information to publish.

2.6  Parking Account:
The code requires that local authorities must publish on their website, or place a link on their website if published elsewhere, to data about the breakdown of income and expenditure on the parking authority’s parking account.  Hadlow Down Parish Council has no chargeable parking and therefore has no information to publish.

2.7  Parking Spaces:
The code requires that local authorities must publish the number of marked or controlled on and offstreet parking spaces within their area, or an estimate of the number of spaces where controlled parking space is not marked out in individual parking bays or spaces.  Hadlow Down Parish Council has no controlled parking spaces and therefore has no information to publish.

2.8  Senior Salaries:
Local authorities are already required to publish, under the Accounts and Audit Regulations 2015, the number and remuneration details of employees whose remuneration in that year was at least £50,000.  Hadlow Down Parish Council has no staff with a salary of £50,000 or greater and therefore has no information to publish.

2.9  Constitution:
Local authorities are already required to make their constitution documents available for inspection at their offices under section 9P of the Local Government Act 2000. Local authorities must also, under the code, publish their constitution on their website.  Hadlow Down Parish Council’s constitution is made up of the Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and Code of Conduct, which can be found on the PC Policies page within the following link – Hadlow Down Parish Council Policies

2.10  Pay Multiple:
The code requires that local authorities must publish the pay multiple on their website, defined as the ratio between the highest paid taxable earnings for the given year (including base salary, variable pay, bonuses, allowances and the cash value of any benefits-in-kind) and the median earnings figure of the whole of the authority’s workforce.  Hadlow Down Parish Council has one member of staff so the pay multiple is 1.

2.11  Fraud:
The code requires that local authorities must publish information about their counter fraud work.  Hadlow Down Parish Council’s member of staff is not undertaking fraud investigation work and therefore has no information to publish.

Hadlow Down Parish Council complies with the requirements of the code by publishing the information on this website.

Full details of the code can be found here Local Government Transparency Code 2015