As councils consider their spending and rates decisions for the coming year and as October’s local authority elections draw closer, business groups are calling for greater transparency on how councillors vote. said Matt Cowley, Chair of the Local Government Business Forum, a group of business organisations that have a vital interest in the activities of local government. “That might take a while, so in the meantime when councils adopt their rates for the coming year their media statements should clearly state who voted for and who voted against the projects that drove the rates increases.