Telford & Wrekin Council to account for all spending over £100

All expenditure over £100 is likely to be made public under a raft of measures to make Telford & Wrekin Council more open.

It already publishes everything it spends above £500 at www.telford.gov.uk/opencouncil.

The information includes the salaries of its most senior managers and councillors' allowances and expenses.

A report to the council's cabinet meeting on Wednesday will also propose a range of other measures to help make Telford & Wrekin even more accessible and open.

They include devoting the first 15 minutes of each full council for the public to ask questions to councillors, trialling the filming and recording at cabinet and full council meetings by members of the public, publishing details of councillors who trade with the council – including the value and description of any payments received from the council to any businesses that a councillor has an interest in – and promoting greater use of social media at council meetings by members of the public.

Councillor Shaun Davies, cabinet member for neighbourhood services and co-operative council, said: "Only last week we as a council adopted our co-operative values of openness and honesty, fairness and respect, ownership and involvement – values that have come from the community.

"These simple changes would show just how serious we are about ensuring that, as a co-operative council, we do as we say.

"The changes would, I am sure, put us at the forefront of councils seeking to be as honest and open as possible with their residents.

"We must live and breathe our values and these changes would be a very significant step forward."

Openness and honesty is one of the council's four co-operative values. If backed by the cabinet these measures would need the support of full council.