councillors

How to get scoops from local councils

Since 2011, all councils have been required to publish expenditure on items over £500. At the CIJ Summer School this year, Paul Francis and Ted Jeory explained how to turn this information into a story… What is ‘expenditure’? Individual invoices Grant payments Expense payments Payments for goods and services Credit notes Transactions with other public […]

How-to: Researching people online

Sid Ryan wanted to see if planning applications near planning committee members were more or less likely to be accepted. Part one of the guide showed how to scrape planning applications and assemble them onto a map. This guide shows how to researc…