Thanks to eagle eyed reader Jaybird for the tip off on this one.
Barnet Council are obliged under the Audit Commission Act 1998 to allow residents to inspect the accounts of the council. Bewteen the 13 June and 8 July any resident of Barnet is entitled to inspect the accounts and, most importantly,"books, deed, contracts, bills, vouchers and receipts relating thereto".
If you are unhappy with what you find, on 13 July you can question Grant Thornton about the accounts and make any objections. These dates are pencilled into my diary!
I urge anyone who is concerned about specific contracts or the way your money is spent to take the opportunity to check for yourselves and to inspect the accounts. People can't moan about the way money is spent in Barnet if they don't bother to question it. Use your rights to check and question the accounts.
It is not merely a right to inspect, but to “inspect and copy”. The council must provide you with physical copies of the documents in question if requested. This will be very helpful just in case the documents are subsequently ‘lost’ when we finally get a proper investigation into the Metpro scandal.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there was no contract with Metpro, residents are entitled to see copies of any e-mails or letters authorising them to carry out the work, and the level of charges for same.
Residents cannot be fobbed off as easily under the Audit Commission Act as they can be with the Freedom of Information Act.