How we score — and why it matters
The Verifiable Digital Transparency Index (VDTI) is built on a single principle: if a resident cannot find it, it does not count. Every score is derived from publicly available data that anyone can verify.
Score distribution across 10,892 councils
The average VDTI score is 29.3/100. The highest-scoring council achieves 88/100. No council has ever scored 100.
Why no council scores 100/100
A perfect score would require a council to demonstrate publicly verifiable evidence across all 14 indicators, including an accessibility statement that meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards, published evidence of school engagement across all schools in the area, and a website that is both comprehensive and easily navigable.
The highest-scoring council in England currently achieves 88/100. This is not a failure — it reflects the reality that even the most transparent councils have areas where publicly available evidence could be strengthened.
We deliberately set the bar high because the VDTI is designed to drive improvement, not to congratulate. A score of 65+ places a council in the "Good" band — meaning it demonstrably meets the core expectations of the Transparency Code and goes beyond the minimum in several areas.
The 74.7% of councils scoring below 50 is not an indictment. It reflects the current state of publicly available digital transparency across England's parish and town councils. Many of these councils may be doing excellent work that is simply not visible online. The VDTI measures what residents can find — and that is the point.
Why the methodology is deliberately conservative
The VDTI is designed to withstand scrutiny from journalists, councillors, residents, and auditors. These five principles ensure that every score is defensible.
Publicly verifiable only
Every data point used in the VDTI score is drawn from publicly available sources. If a resident cannot find it, it does not count. This means some councils may score lower than their actual practice warrants — but it also means every score can be independently verified by anyone.
Conservative by design
When evidence is ambiguous, we score conservatively. A council that publishes minutes but in a format that is difficult to find will score lower than one with a clearly signposted minutes archive. This rewards discoverability, not just existence.
Binary indicators, transparent weighting
Each of the 14 indicators is assessed as FOUND or NOT FOUND. There is no subjective scoring, no opinion-based assessment, and no editorial judgement. The weighting of each indicator within its pillar is published in our methodology documentation.
No pay-to-play
Subscribing to Council ClearSight does not change a council's score. The VDTI is produced independently. Subscribers receive detailed analysis, recommendations, and updated assessments — but the score itself is based solely on publicly available evidence.
Reproducible assessment
Any competent researcher following our published methodology should arrive at the same score for any given council. If they do not, we want to know — and we will correct our assessment.
Where the data comes from
Every data point in the VDTI is drawn from one of these authoritative, publicly accessible sources. No proprietary data, no paid databases, no insider information.
Council websites
Source: Direct observation
We check whether each council has a functioning website and assess its content for transparency indicators: published minutes, agendas, financial statements, and contact details.
Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities
Source: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The statutory framework (2015) that requires parish councils with turnover under £25,000 to publish specific financial and governance information. Councils with turnover above £25,000 are subject to the full Transparency Code.
Governance & Accountability for Smaller Authorities (JPAG)
Source: JPAG (NALC, SLCC, SAAA, CAPALC)
The Joint Panel on Accountability and Governance publishes the Practitioners' Guide that defines proper practices for parish council financial management and annual governance statements.
DfE Get Information About Schools (GIAS)
Source: Department for Education
The official register of all schools in England. We use GIAS to identify schools within each council's geographic boundary and then search for publicly available evidence of council-school engagement.
ONS Open Geography Portal
Source: Office for National Statistics
Parish boundary data, population estimates, and geographic lookups used to assign councils to regions, calculate population bands, and build peer comparison groups.
Electoral Commission parish precept data
Source: Electoral Commission / MHCLG
Published precept and council tax data used to calculate precept bands and enable financial peer benchmarking between councils of similar size and spending.
NALC & SLCC membership directories
Source: National Association of Local Councils / Society of Local Council Clerks
Cross-referenced to identify councils with professional clerk support and membership of national representative bodies, which correlates with governance quality.
Challenge our scoring
We welcome scrutiny. If you believe a council's score is incorrect, we want to hear from you.