Transparency should not be opaque

Organisations which receive funding from City Hall should ensure their work is open and transparent – as this is an essential foundation of accountability.

That is the conclusion of a new report ^[1] ‘Transparency of the GLA Group and Family’ released today by John Biggs AM on behalf of the GLA Oversight Committee. The publication is a follow-up investigation into the 2013 report ‘Transparency of the GLA Group’ - to assess what progress had been made and ensure that momentum is maintained.

This investigation examined the transparency of ten organisations ^[2] which are part of, or receive funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA) Family. It found;

• Transport for London (TfL) has made good progress – but it must provide a consistent level of transparency across all parts of its organisation. It should now start publishing the contracts and Board and committee papers of Crossrail, and make a commitment that Crossrail 2 will be transparent and open to scrutiny.
• The lack of information published by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) is of concern. The next Deputy Mayor for Police and Crime should review the decision-making information MOPAC publishes and propose improvements. Greater openness at the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) needs to be progressed as a part of this.
• Information released under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act should be made publically accessible. Searchable FOI logs would allow more people to find this information at minimal cost.
• We urge the newly formed Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) to learn from our findings, in order to avoid a situation like the controversy over the London Legacy Development Corporation’s (LLDC) Olympic Stadium contract.

Author of the report for the GLA Oversight Committee, John Biggs AM, said:

“If an organisation is funded by the public – it is accountable to the public. Hiding behind reasons of commercial sensitivity won’t wash. We learnt from the Barclays cycle hire sponsorship deal that the eventual contract publication did not affect Santander from getting on board.

If there are good reasons for a GLA body to keep information confidential – those reasons should be explained. Improvements have been made but we need the momentum to continue, as new organisations like the OPDC join the GLA Group. Transparency must be more consistent across the entire GLA Family."