What Assay is and how it works
Assay is not affiliated with any council, political party, or government body.
Mission
Assay makes every UK council's accountability footprint legible to any resident, journalist, or councillor in under 30 seconds. Every flag traces to a primary published source. We record both concerns and achievements.
How Assay stays neutral
We use only published, source-linked evidence. Language is neutral throughout: we describe what the evidence shows, not what it implies. Scores are secondary to flags. Missing data is never penalised. Every council and named individual has 14 days to respond; replies are published verbatim.
Positive and negative indicators
Assay tracks both concerns and achievements. Councils deserve recognition for strong FOI compliance, well-managed finances, and effective service delivery, as well as scrutiny when things go wrong. Positive indicator data is actively being added in 2026.
Data sources and licences
Data comes from MHCLG, PSAA external audit reports, ICO enforcement notices, and council-published documents. All source data is open under OGL v3 unless stated otherwise. See the Methodology page for the full flag criteria.
Corrections policy
If a flag is factually incorrect, email hello@assay.org.uk with the flag reference and the specific correction. We will investigate and correct or remove within 14 days, and publish a corrections log.
Right of reply
Councils and named individuals may submit a response of up to 500 words to any flag. Responses are published verbatim alongside the relevant flag within 14 days. Submit a response.