It is a cause for concern that only one-third of local authorities publish the declaration of interests and the donation statements made by their elected representatives on their websites. Almost three-quarters of councils fail to publish comprehensive expenses data online while none publish the diaries of their chief executives. The findings are based on a detailed assessment of local authorities, taking in Freedom of Information requests, information available on websites and direct feedback from council staff. In the past some of the worst examples of political corruption emerged from local authorities. With combined spending of almost €5 billion last year, the highest level of transparency, accountability and ethics in local authorities is essential.

Source: The Irish Times December 10, 2019 19:41 UTC