A bill that the Government believes will increase local accountability and transparency has been agreed by both houses of parliament.
The Local Audit and Accountability Bill, which ministers say will help local people hold councils and local bodies to account for their spending decisions, is now waiting for the final stage of Royal Assent, when it will become an Act of Parliament.
Under the proposed act, the Audit Commission will be abolished though local authorities will be able to come together to procure their auditor.
The act would also give greater rights to report at local government meetings, including allowing people to film, record, tweet and blog.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government, Baroness Stowell of Beeston, said: ‘We believe that this is an important extension to reflect greater enthusiasm and appetite among the public - not just for transparency but also to have an element of control over the information and the access that they enjoy which allows them to continue discussion and debate beyond being just observers at meetings.
‘Opening up these bodies would help the public to have a better understanding of their local decision-making process and potentially encourage them to be more involved in local affairs.’