Region at a glance
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Search the council boxes below or use the quick filters.
North West councils
Official routes for council decisions, public money, planning, SEND and complaints.
Blackburn with Darwen Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Blackpool Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Bolton Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Bury Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Cheshire East Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Cheshire West & Chester Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Cumberland Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Halton Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Knowsley Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Lancashire Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Liverpool Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Manchester Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Oldham Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Rochdale Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Salford Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Sefton Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
St Helens Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Stockport Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Tameside Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Trafford Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Warrington Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Westmorland & Furness Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Wigan Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Wirral Council
Official routes for democratic decisions, public spending, planning, SEND, complaints and information rights.
Democracy and governance
Money and transparency
Services and accountability
Combined authorities and regional public services
Use these links where transport, investment, policing, fire or health functions operate above council level.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Strategic transport, housing, skills, economic development, fire governance and devolved investment for Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
Strategic transport, skills, economic development, housing and devolved investment for Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.
Lancashire and Blackpool regional services
County and unitary council responsibilities, public transport, policing, fire and health services across Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool.
Cheshire and Warrington services
Regional health, police, fire, transport and economic partnerships affecting Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington.
Cumbria public services
Services affecting Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness, including police, fire, NHS and transport.
North West-wide services
SEND and EHCP transparency
National legal duties apply alongside every council’s Local Offer and local procedures.
Core legal framework
Assessment, plans and provision
Track the assessment request, six-week decision, professional advice, draft plan, final plan, placement and delivery of Section F provision.
Statistics and inspections
Independent SEND support
Public finance, contracts and audit
Follow spending from policy approval through procurement, supplier payment, delivery and audit.
Council finance evidence
- Annual revenue budget and medium-term financial strategy.
- Capital programme and project business cases.
- Budget-monitoring and savings reports.
- Statement of accounts and annual governance statement.
- Payments to suppliers and procurement-card data.
- Senior pay, organisation structures and redundancy costs.
- Audit committee reports and external-auditor findings.
Contracts and tender searches
Audit and value for money
Planning, housing and regeneration
Check local applications alongside regional development programmes, housing regulation and appeals.
Planning evidence checklist
- Application form, drawings and supporting reports.
- Consultation responses and statutory-consultee advice.
- Officer report, committee minutes and webcast.
- Decision notice, conditions and reasons.
- Section 106 agreement and infrastructure contributions.
- Enforcement history and appeal records.
Planning policy and appeals
Housing and homelessness oversight
Schools, care, health and justice
Official routes for checking local services and external inspection.
Schools and inspections
Adult and children's social care
Courts and tribunals
Statistics and open data
Complaints, information rights and scrutiny
Choose the route that matches the record or remedy required.
Public and environmental information
Your personal data
Maladministration and service failure
National scrutiny
Public transparency checklist
- Identify whether the council, combined authority, NHS body, police force or another organisation legally owns the decision.
- Search committee papers, forward plans, delegated decisions and registers before submitting an FOI.
- Save the meeting date, agenda item, report, decision-maker, vote and declared interests.
- Compare the original budget and business case with monitoring reports, final spending and measured outcomes.
- Search council contract registers, Contracts Finder and Find a Tender.
- Use FOI for recorded public information, EIR for environmental information and SAR for your own personal data.
- Request an internal review if an FOI or EIR response appears incomplete or poorly reasoned.
- Use the relevant complaints procedure before escalating to an Ombudsman, unless a statutory appeal route applies.
- Retain dated copies because online documents and policies can change.
EHCP accountability checklist
- Save proof of the date the assessment request was received.
- Track the six-week assessment decision and overall statutory process.
- Request all education, health, psychology and social-care advice.
- Ensure Section B records every need and Section F specifies and quantifies provision.
- Check Sections G and H for relevant health and social-care provision.
- Comment in writing on the draft plan and state the preferred placement.
- Record every occasion when final-plan provision is not delivered.
- Use annual reviews to update needs, outcomes, provision and placement.
- Use tribunal rights for appealable decisions and complaint routes for delay or maladministration.