Essex County Council will be publishing all its spending online from today.

The authority said it will show how it spends all money in an effort to be one of the most transparent councils in the country.

Government guidelines state that councils must publish any spending over �500, and has proposed to reduce this to �250 later this year.

Spending information can be found on the council’s website two weeks before the end of each month, but it will not publish names of individuals, such as employees or foster carers.

The council’s spending between April 2011 and March 2012 and the summary details of top level contracts with organisations providing services on its behalf will also be available online.

Deputy leader of Essex County Council, Cllr David Finch, said: “We have taken this bold step because our residents have the right to know how this council spends the money we collect in council tax.

“The council takes every spending decision carefully and we have nothing to hide. Publishing this information will ensure we are completely transparent about where every penny we collect in council tax goes.”