Summary: We live in changing political times and many observe a decline in trust in politics. Meanwhile there is now an unprecedented collection of personal data by public and private organisations. What does it mean to be transparent in the public sector in this context? We speak to Dr Ben Worthy of Birkbeck University on his research on the impact of FOI in local government and the importance of narrative when publishing data. We also report from the first Homelessness Commission meeting on the use of data in tackling homelessness, our recent briefing on artificial intelligence in councils and thoughts from our visit to Brent Council's Question Time event. Plus our regular roundup of news from the past two weeks including the DWP sickness benefit scandal and Universal Credit rollout. Hosted by Jen Glover and Jonathan Carr-West, featuring Ingrid Koehler and Dr Ben Worthy.
