Every local government should publish a one-page budget anyone can read

The problem: budgets are the most important policy document a local authority produces, and among the least read. Hundreds of pages in technical language leave most residents with no way to judge the choices being made.

The proposal: alongside the full budget, publish a single page, in plain language and the main local languages, showing where the money comes from, where it goes, how that has changed from last year, and the three biggest decisions the council faced. Use simple graphics, and give a contact for questions.

Who acts: the finance office drafts it; a reader panel of residents tests it before release; the council commits to publishing it on the same day as the full budget.

Costs and trade-offs: a page requires choices about what to leave out, and those choices can be criticised. That is a feature, not a flaw: the full budget remains available, and the summary exposes what officials consider most important.

First step: one council produces a one-page budget this year, with a resident test group.