The Government published the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 in February 2015.
The intention of the Code is to increase transparency in the publication of public sector data and particularly around how public money is being used, in order to allow local people to hold local authorities to account over how their council tax is spent and the decisions that are taken on their behalf.
Part 2 of the Code sets out the information that it is recommended is published by town and parish councils with a gross annual income or expenditure exceeding £200,000
Peterlee Town Council is committed to being open and transparent in its decision making processes and in spending tax payers’ money and will strive to meet the publication requirements set out in Part 2 as far as these are relevant to the Council.
INFORMATION TO BE PUBLISHED QUARTERLY
Payments over £500
One of the key requirements of the Code is the publication of all items of expenditure over £500.
The schedules below details payments of £500 or over (Net – exclusive of VAT) made to suppliers. We aim to publish these 30 days after the end of each quarter.
There are a number of exemptions in the data provided. These include non-commercial payments to specific individuals which cannot be disclosed, as they are covered by General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements.
Staff salaries, pensions and on-costs to Peterlee Town Council as an employer are exempt from the above reports.
Government Procurement Card Transactions
We do not use a government procurement card as defined by the code.
Procurement over £5,000
This report will include details of procurement over £5,000.
This document is being updated
INFORMATION TO BE PUBLISHED ANNUALLY
Local Authority Land
Social Housing Assets
This service is not provided by the Town Council
Grants To Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Organisations
This document is being updated
Organisation Chart
Organisation Chart
Trade Union Facility Time
Total number (absolute number and full time equivalent) of staff who are union representatives (e.g. general, learning and health and safety representatives)
- None
Total number (absolute number and full time equivalent) of union representatives who devote at least 50 per cent of their time to union duties
- None
Names of all trade unions represented in the local authority
- GMB
- Unison
A basic estimate of spending on unions (calculated as the number of full time equivalent days spent on union duties by authority staff that spent the majority of their time on union duties multiplied by the average salary)
- None
A basic estimate of spending on unions as a percentage of the total pay bill (calculated as the number of full time equivalent days spent on union duties by authority staff that spent the majority of their time on union duties multiplied by the average salary divided by the total pay bill).
- None
Parking Account and Parking Spaces
The Council does not have controlled car parking, either on-street or off-street, and therefore does not operate a parking account.
Senior Salaries
Local authorities are required to publish the following information about senior salaries:
- The number of employees whose remuneration in that year was at least £50,000 in brackets of £5,000
- Details of remuneration and job title of certain senior employees whose salary is at least £50,000
- Employees whose salaries are £150,000 or more must also be identified by name
- In addition to this requirement, local authorities must place a link on their website to these published data or place the data itself on their website, together with a list of responsibilities (for example, the services and functions they are responsible for, budget held and number of staff) and details of bonuses and ‘benefits-in-kind’, for all employees whose salary exceeds £50,000.
Peterlee Town Council has one post where remuneration is £50,000 or greater - the Town Clerk which sits within the bracket of £75,000 - £80,000. (Updated August 2025)
The Town Clerk’s Overall Responsibilities
The Town Clerk:-
- Is the Proper Officer of the Council and, as such, is under a statutory duty to carry out all the functions and, in particular, to serve or issue all the notifications required by law of a Local Authority’s Proper Officer.
- Has full responsibility for ensuring that the instructions of the Council are carried out.
- Advises the Council on, and assist in the formation of, overall policies to be followed in respect of its activities and, in particular, to produce all information required for making effective decisions.
- Is accountable to the Council for the effective management of all its resources and will report to them as and when required.
- Is responsible for the management of the Council’s finances, and is designated as the ‘Responsible Finance Officer’ as per s151 of the Local Government Act 1972.
Peterlee Town Council does not pay bonuses or benefits in kind to employees.
Constitution
Key documents can be found on our Policies and Procedures page
Pay Multiple
The pay multiple is the ratio between the highest paid salary and the median salary of the whole of our workforce.
Pay multiple for the financial year ending 31st March 2025 is 3.54
Fraud
There are no employees of Peterlee Town Council that fall within this category.
Other useful links:
General Data Privacy Notice here.
Open and Accountable Local Government
Local Government Transparency Code
Peterlee Town Council Publication Scheme
We have also published some public guidance on submitting a request for access to information.
From October 2016 the Council has also published a disclosure log that provides anonymised data on responses to Freedom of Information requests received.
If you would like to access information about the Council that isn't already contained within the publication scheme you can contact us directly to discuss the nature of your request, or you can make 'formal' requests through these links:
To find out more about making a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act or making a Subject Access Request, please visit the Information Commissioners Office website.
To find out more about attending and/or recording a council meeting please contact the Town Clerk by phoning 0191 5862491 or email council@peterlee.gov.uk