Commenting on the announcement from Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP that the UK Communities and Local Government Department will be publishing all expenditure above £250, reducing the threshold from £500 to a record low, Janet Finch-Saunders AM, Shadow Minister for Local Government, said:

"This is a massive and welcome leap towards greater transparency, giving the public clear and accessible information on how their taxes are spent.

"Conservatives are showing how openness and transparency can be a driver to root out wasteful spending and deliver greater value for money for hard-pressed taxpayers.

"This announcement of greater openness from the Conservative-led Coalition puts greater pressure on inward-looking Labour Assembly Ministers who believe that government knows best and continue to refuse to open up their books to the Welsh public.

"In Welsh Councils, Conservatives have also led the way in opening up the books to allow ordinary taxpayers to see for themselves whether their local authority delivers value for money.

"It is time for Labour to be open and start trusting the great Welsh public."