‘We’d all benefit from a little government transparency”
James Kirkup writing in The Times, Friday 5th September 2025
In his article, James Kirkup argues that the UK's traditional practice of maintaining secrecy around the budget process is a fundamental mistake.
He argues that by excluding the public and experts from the conversation, the government loses the opportunity to make better, more informed policy decisions. We couldn’t agree more - this is one of the fundamental arguments behind our government transparency campaign for social care funding.
We are fighting a landmark legal case against three government departments to ensure government accountability and adequate funding for social care. We believe that disclosure of the information requested would allow social care organisations to collaborate with central government to support the improvement of long-term decision making on social care funding. Sharing this information would allow for a serious and necessary public debate about the difficult economic trade-offs facing the country.
Despite the Information Commissioner ordering the disclosure of this information, the government continues to withhold it.
HM Treasury, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department of Health and Social Care are all preparing to fight this decision in November. and the hearing on 17th, 18th and 19th November.
You can follow developments in the legal case through our social channels and by signing up to our campaign newsletter here.
Access Social Care Government Transparency Campaign
In a nutshell
✚ Access Social Care is a legal rights organisation fighting a landmark freedom of information legal case against three government departments to ensure government accountability and adequate funding for social care.
✚ Disclosure of the information requested will allow specialist social care organisations to collaborate with central government to support the improvement of long-term decision making on social care funding.
✚ Access Social Care has campaigned for 4 years for the UK government to disclose how it funds social care, believing that transparency is essential to create a system that works for everyone.
✚ There have been two rounds of FOI requests.
✚ Despite the Information Commissioner ordering the disclosure of information, the government continues to withhold it.
Read more about the campaign here
