Ealing Council has denied claims that it is using redactions in its published spending data to conceal how it uses public money.
The issue was raised online after a post on X said Labour-run Ealing Council had paid more than £213 million in “redacted” payments over eight months. The post claimed this represented 34 percent of all payments made by the council during that period and was higher than a London average of around 8 percent.
The same post linked the redactions to concerns about the council’s wider finances and said Ealing is nearly £1bn in debt. It also referenced Croydon Council, which faced criticism after more than 50 percent of its payments were redacted, and later pledged to be more transparent.
Ealing Council said the suggestion that redactions are used to conceal finances is wrong.
An Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “The source of those figures is not clear and it is entirely wrong to suggest redactions are used to conceal the council’s finances.
“The vast majority of redactions of transactions in our published expenditure data relate to individuals not organisations. We are legally required under data protection law to withhold names where publishing them would reveal personal information, for example payments to foster carers, housing benefit recipients, local welfare assistance and other support to residents. We also redact entries relating to schools, academies and nurseries.
“Where a supplier is a company with no personal information in its name, we do not redact it.
“Any suggestion these legally required redactions imply wrongdoing or concealment is completely incorrect.
“As with all public bodies, we publish extensive financial information and undertake regular, established reviews to ensure we continue to meet and where possible exceed transparency requirements, including publication of expenditure and the council’s contracts register, while fulfilling our statutory duty to protect residents’ personal data.”
