COUNTY Hall leaders have rejected claims they are trying to restrict what the public knows about how taxpayers’ money is being spent.

Opposition Labour councillors have cried foul over changes they claim could result in increased secrecy by stopping the Press and public finding out about important policy decisions.

Changes to the KCC constitution will mean only certain decisions involving either spending or saving £1million will need to be discussed and voted on at open meetings of KCC’s cabinet, the political decision-making body. Any decision taken where the costs are less than £1million could be taken behind closed doors.

The changes are permitted under government legislation about how councils are run.

But Labour opposition group leader Cllr Mike Eddy said: "This technical device means that a whole raft of decisions will be excluded from the procedure that allows for [backbench] scrutiny and for delay, if necessary."

He added the change would make it "even harder for the media and the county’s elected representatives to hold the [Conservative] administration to account".

But Cllr Nick Chard, KCC’s cabinet member for finance, rejected the complaint.

"There is no sinister reason for doing this. It is simply designed to improve the efficient running of KCC. We are not trying to hide anything and we are happy to have a debate about any of the things that we propose," he said.

Rising inflation meant that it was sensible to review the financial threshold for important decisions.

He added backbench councillors from all parties would still have the right to "call in" decisions, allowing them to scrutinise all aspects of county council policy.