Birmingham City Council financial challenges - time to Reset

To find out more about the budget and section 114 notice, visit our budget information page

Invoicing the council

Payment data and transparency

We are committed to making our finances clear so that everyone can see exactly how we are spending money. As part of our commitment to providing financial transparency Birmingham City Council publishes regular reports on all purchase card transactions and expenditures over £500 including VAT.

Purchase card transactions

The Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency encourages councils to publish all corporate purchase card transactions. Birmingham City Council started publishing all purchase card transactions, regardless of value, from the May 2014 card statement.

Purchase card transactions reports are published monthly.

Payments over £500

We also publish lists of individual payments to suppliers each month with a value over £500. These are payments made in the period, and do not necessarily relate to invoices dated or received in the period.

Reports of payments over £500 are published monthly.

In the interests of keeping the costs of publication to a minimum, the Council has published the data in a plain, simple format showing:

  • Payment beneficiary
  • Date of payment
  • Amount paid
  • Unique document reference
  • Spending directorate.

Payment performance statistics

In accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, we publish payment performance data demonstrating compliance with the obligation to pay undisputed invoices within 30 days to first tier suppliers/prime contractors.

In the spirit of transparency, the Council have published historical data to 2004/05 to highlight our drive for greater compliance, enabling meaningful comparison and trend analysis.

Freedom of Information

If you require further information about a specific payment transaction, contact foi.mailbox@birmingham.gov.uk with the details of the payment and what additional information you require. Such requests will be handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Council aims to be able to provide a response to your query within 20 working days.

We aim to be as transparent as we can but in some cases we will need to withhold personal data.

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