DCLG cuts threshold for publishing spend data to £250

“This will mean more information on typical items such as travel expenses, publications, office supplies and mobile phone bills for the first time,” the DCLG said.

The Department said its arm’s length bodies would be asked to follow suit “as a matter of routine at the end of each month”.

In an interview with the Municipal Journal, junior minister Bob Neill revealed that the threshold for councils was also set to be reduced to £250 in the Autumn.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: "I firmly believe the more open we are about spending the more we can root out waste, avoid duplication and increase value for money for taxpayers.

"Every member of the public has a right to know - and a right to challenge - how every penny of their hard earned cash is being spent by Government. Our quest for greater transparency has led us to set a new marker in the sand - from today our books will now be open right down to £250."

The DCLG has published details of its spending above £500 since August 2010.