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Municipal Barometer: An accessible platform for local government data

Centre for Municipal Research and Advice




Project type Scaling 



Country South Africa 



Support £98,540



“Without proper access to data, citizens struggle to make informed decisions and find it challenging to hold government accountable.” — Centre for Municipal Research and Advice

9

key areas of government performance tracked

222

local municipalities covered

Start date
May 2014
End date
September 2016
Period: 29 months

Issue

In South Africa, the limited availability of local level government data means that ordinary people struggle to understand what public money is actually being spent on in their constituencies.

The questions are simple:

  • What did the government promise?
  • What did the government deliver?
  • How can I make my opinions known about this?

 

Project

To support understanding of government performance in South Africa, Making All Voices Count is supporting the Centre for Municipal Research and Advice to extend their Municipal Barometer. This is a web-based tool that provides local level data to citizens in formats that are easy to access and interpret, and have clear indications of how to respond.

Through the barometer, CSOs, the media and citizens can assess and respond to government action based on facts, not on assumptions.

The Municipal Barometer has been workshopped in all provinces in South Africa to ensure it is practical and understandable for ordinary citizens to use. The team are supporting awareness and use of the Barometer through policy dialogues, public meetings and media engagement.

Through the Barometer, municipalities have the capacity to locate, access, interpret and utilise date for planning, budgeting and governance processes. Ordinary people in South Africa have access to a tool to supports local government’s accountability with solid data.

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