ALL councillors’ expenses and allowances could be published by a Merseyside authority to combat the “shadow” cast by the Westminster “debacle”.

Wirral council leader Steve Foulkes said he wants to take away the cynicism currently surrounding expenses by creating an easy-to-access list detailing all payments made to members.

Presently, the council publishes amounts – but they do not include allowances paid for outside duties, such as a place on Merseyside’s police or fire authorities.

Cllr Foulkes said: “I think after the damage which has been done across the board by all three parties in Westminster, local councillors would be negating their duties not to note people’s concerns.

“I am saying what we receive should be on public view.

“They are already available, but they are not all in one place where they can be accessed easily.

“If we have learned anything from the debacle in Westminster, it is that openness is needed, because trust in politicians has been devastated.

“We need to get rid of the myths and innuendo.

“People should access the individual rather than three or four different sources of information.

“We should say what members get and the reasons behind it.”