Frequently asked questions
Short, plain answers about how CouncilTracer works — where answers come from, how current the record is, and what happens to your questions. Pick a question below.
How answers work
Why does an answer show only about 15 sources?
The focus-and-budget cap, the automatic lift for broad topics, and how to go deeper.
Where do answers come from, and why is everything cited?
Only the council's published record — every claim links back to a source.
Does it tell me what was decided, or just what was proposed?
A hard line: nothing counts as decided until the minutes are published.
Can I trust the vote counts and who moved or seconded?
Read straight from the minutes, counted in code, and never inferred.
Does it list every relevant meeting, or just some?
For 'which meetings' and register questions you get the whole set, not a sample.
Can I follow one topic across many meetings or years?
It recognises broad questions itself and searches every meeting's minutes.
What is a timeline report?
One matter's whole history, laid out in date order, cited to source.
How do I ask a good question? (It's not like Google)
Short and specific beats one long search-engine sentence.
Can I ask for one part of a report — the cost, the options, what residents said?
Yes. Every officer's report has the same parts, and they are tagged back to 2011.
Coverage & currency
How up-to-date is the information, and how often does it refresh?
It checks the council's site on a schedule; freshness tracks what the council publishes.
Why do some meetings show as “not yet available”?
The council lists the meeting but hasn't published its files yet — it isn't a gap on our end.
How are confidential items handled — can I see them?
The subject is shown (it's public); the contents aren't askable until the item is released.
Your privacy
Is my question saved? What about personal details I mention?
Held only in memory; personal details are filtered before anything is stored.
How long is anything I do kept?
Raw text is deleted automatically after 60 days; only anonymous totals remain.
Does it remember my conversation?
Your conversation lives only in your browser; refresh starts fresh.
Do you track me or show ads?
No trackers, no ads, nothing sold.
About CouncilTracer
See also: governance, accuracy & limitations · how it works · what we're tracking · privacy policy