Pickles to publish spending

Eric Pickles to publish all his department's spending over £250 in new transparency purge

Eric Pickes MP
PICTURE: Matt Sprake/NEWSPICS

A Whitehall department has started to publish all of its spending over £250 to increase further transparency across Government.

The move will put pressure on all departments to publish more information about how public money is spent by civil servants. The Department for Communities and Local Government has been publishing details of all goods and services spent over £500 matching the level required of councils since August 2010.

However it said it wanted to take “its transparency pledge to a new level by publishing all spend data over £250. This will mean more information on typical items such as travel expenses, publications, office supplies and mobile phone bills for the first time.

Communities secretary Eric Pickles encouraged ‘armchair auditors’ at home to scrutinise his officials' spending and see at a glance exactly where taxpayers money is being spent.

Mr Pickles said: “The transparency revolution is far from over. Whitehall and local government can go further in reducing waste.

“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. “For thirteen years Labour ministers enjoyed taxpayer funded dinners at the Wolsley and quangos wined and dined each other on the public purse “Every member of the public has a right to know and a right to challenge how 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 be open right down to 250 pounds.”

Mr Pickles has already agreed to publish all spending on government credit cards, which has led to changes in spending habits. Earlier this year it emerged that civil servants had swapped swap fine dining for fast food restaurants such as Burger King and McDonald’s after the transparency purge. In 2010/11, officials spent £17.95 at McDonald’s, £23.60 at Nando’s and £11.48 at Burger King on their Government Procurement Cards. None of these restaurants appeared in GPC statements in any of the previous four years, according to a Parliamentary Answer.

Ryan Giggs finally 'Outed'!

The footballer at the centre of the gagging order over his affair with Big Brother star Imogen Thomas was named today in the House of Commons as Ryan Giggs.

MP John Hemmings used parliamentary privilege to name the star saying 75,000 people had already outed him on Twitter adding it would be 'impracticable' to prison everyone on the website who had named him. Speaker John Bercow leapt out of his seat after Mr Hemmings said the footballer's name to try and protect his identity.

PICTURE: Zed Jameson/NEWSPICS

The 'Special One' turns down City's millions

Mourinho has consistently admitted that his future belongs in England and the Premier League, and the Portuguese has been linked with City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Man United.

However, Mourinho has three years left on his Real contract and is adamant he will remain in Madrid until then.

"My future is Real Madrid," said the former Chelsea coach. "I have a contract and it looks like the club is happy with my work.

"My future will be England, yes, for sure, but after Real. I have a contract for three more seasons and I would like to reach the 600-mark with Real Madrid."

This, though, has not stopped the self-proclaimed 'Special One' from being linked to City, with under-fire Mancini expected to be given the boot at the end of the season unless he wins some silverware.

"Me to Manchester City? That's impossible," Mourinho said.

Mourinho has also laughed off suggestions AC Milan could sign Cristiano Ronaldo, after the Serie A club's owner, Silvio Berlusconi, admitted his liking for the Portugal international.

"I'm not saying it's impossible, because in football you never know, and Berlusconi can make a crazy offer," he said.

"But it must be a true madness because Real Madrid don't want to sell Cristiano Ronaldo."

Mourinho was speaking after his Real Madrid team beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at White Hart Lane last night, 5-0 on aggregate, to set up a mouthwatering semi-final against Barcelona.

PICTURE: Andrew Timms/NEWSPICS

Jodie Marsh dubs 'TOWIE' an Embarrassment!

Essex glamour model Jodie Marsh has hit out at the reality show for giving the county a bad name, saying the stars of the show are the 'worst possible examples of people in Essex'.

Jodie, who got married at Kirk Norcross's Brentwood nightclub The Sugar Hut, said: 'I and all my friends are highly ashamed of it and fairly embarrassed to say we are from Essex now, thanks to the show.

'It is embarrassing and the people on that show are probably the worst possible examples of people from Essex. It's just embarrassing.

'I think the people are just making us look stupid.

'I think it's great entertainment but I think overall it's an embarrassment to Essex.'

PICTURE: Matt Sprake/NEWSPICS

Hot spell due to come to a chilly halt

Parts of the country have rivalled Mediterranean holiday destinations as temperatures soared to 22C (71.6F). About 60,000 people headed to Bournemouth beach at the weekend and hotels in the holiday town reported a late surge in bookings after the fine weather was predicted.

Supermarkets reported huge sales of burgers, sausages, beers and ice cream as early barbecues were held.

And garden centres saw a surge in outdoor furniture sales, while a Tesco spokesman said that it was the earliest ever demand for barbecue equipment. But forecasters warned that the thermometer will take a dip this week

‘Monday will be nice and sunny in the south-east for most of the day but it will become a bit more unsettled later on,’ said Rebekah Sherwin, from the Met Office. ‘It is looking like it will be more unsettled and closer to the normal temperatures towards the end of the week.’

William Hill is offering odds of 33/1 that the hottest day of 2011 will come in April. It has also trimmed the odds of a hosepipe ban in the No.10 Downing Street garden from 16/1 to 14/1.

PICTURE: Andy Stone/NEWSPICS

Moyles wins court battle

Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles is celebrating today after defeating plans for a modern housing development near his £1.8 million north London home.

The breakfast show host argued the "garden grab" would harm wildlife, destroy trees, disturb his "peace and privacy" and encourage burglars.

The plans involved building a modern house in the grounds of a Grade II-listed Victorian villa in Archway Road, Highgate. A Forties extension to the main house, which is divided into flats, was to be replaced with an extension, and the terrace extended to include another four self-contained flats.

This week Haringey council officers claimed the proposal, by site owner Loromah Estates, would be the best way of restoring the historic house. But councillors on the planning committee threw it out after an impassioned plea from the DJ.

Moyles, 37, said: "Not only do I object to the loss of landscape and wildlife habitat, as a figure in the public eye I am particularly concerned such a development could have a detrimental effect on the privacy and peace I hugely value and which was intrinsic in my decision to move to Highgate." He said the loss of tree cover could make homes more vulnerable to burglars.

PICTURE: Matt Sprake & Andy Stone/NEWSPICS

Denise teaches daughter some style

Our favourite Essex girl DENISE VAN OUTEN is teaching her daughter BETSY the only way to pop to the shops in style.

And the 36-year-olds 11-month-old looked seriously sweet in a pair of swanky strawberry-shaped sunglasses as they hit the high street this week.

PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Matt Sprake & Mark Dolman/NEWSPICS