Vila do Bispo council, led by Adelino Soares, is the most transparent municipality south of Lisbon, according to a new raking issued by the civic association Transparency and Integrity which is Portugal’s Transparency International representative organisation.
Nationally, the tiny western Algarve council has been ranked 13th out of the 308 councils in the country.
The scores for 2016 were announced on Wednesday, February 8th, at a ceremony held at the University of Aveiro.
A delighted Vila do Bispo council commented that the ranking "reflects the objectives of the current executive and is based fundamentally on the effort to implement a rigorous and transparent municipal management, which gives citizens greater knowledge of the council’s activities."
In 2015, Vila do Bispo was ranked 10th in the country so has fallen three places but its index score has improved from 81.32% to an impressive 92.86%, which means the council has become more adept as communicating its activities with locals.
Vila do Bispo scored 100% in the categories Relationship with Society, Transparency in Economic and Financial Affairs, and Transparency in Urban Planning.
The index measures the degree of council transparency by analysing the information made available to the public on the council’s website.
Transparency International is skilled in ranking Portugal’s councils and looks at 76 indicators grouped in seven areas including: taxes, fees, tariffs, prices and regulations; public procurement; and economic and financial transparency.
For the rankings, see: http://poderlocal.transparencia.pt/ranking-global
