The man who will fight North Norfolk for the Conservatives at the next election, Trevor Ivory, has demanded that Gordon Brown stops dragging his feet over a new law which requires the Government to tell us how much taxpayers’ money is spent in North Norfolk and in every other part of the country.

The Sustainable Communities Act was introduced by a Conservative MP and passed by Parliament in 2007 with wide cross-community support from local and national organisations.  The radical new law, if used properly, will help to fix Britain’s broken politics by giving local people the power to decide how their tax is spent and requiring a regular breakdown of spending by central government departments and quangos.

More and more taxpayers’ money is being spent every year by unelected quangos.  A new report published on 26 October by the Taxpayers’ Alliance has revealed that quangos now spend an astonishing £90 billion a year – equivalent to £3,640 a year for every household in North Norfolk.

But now Labour Ministers have been trying to water down the new law – only wanting to publish spending by councils and NHS Primary Care Trusts, both of which are already in the public domain. The Government has said that further information will only be “developed over time”.

Conservatives are calling for greater openness and accountability, and are pledging to:

• Use the Sustainable Communities Act to publish detailed Local Spending Reports, including for central government and quangos, and devolve more power to local communities.
• Require North Norfolk District Council to publish online figures for all expenditure on goods and services over £500, as is already being piloted by Windsor and Maidenhead Council.

Trevor Ivory said, “It’s time for the Government to show us the money – and tell North Norfolk’s residents how much of their money is actually spent here.  Gordon Brown wants to stop local people finding out that they get a raw deal from his Government and conceal that his unelected quangocrats spend almost £4,000 a year per household in with little or no say for local people.”

“Local communities deserve a far greater say on how their money is spent. It’s time for change and only Conservatives will open up the books and give power back to local people.”