President Obama has announced the creation of a new website which he says will enable the public to monitor how effectively the US state spends and distributes his proposed $825bn stimulus package.

The president said the site, www.recovery.gov, would be part of his plan to create a more transparent administration.

Visitors to the site today see a message asking them to, "Check back after the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to see how and where your tax dollars are spent".

It adds: "An oversight board will routinely update this site as part of an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency and unnecessary spending in our government."

Mr Obama did not say how regularly the site will be updated, or how rigorously every spending measure will be documented.

But the President said he hoped the American public would be convinced that his administration would be accountable for one of the largest spending programmes in US history.

"I know that some are sceptical about the size and scale of this recovery plan. I understand that scepticism, which is why this recovery plan will include unprecedented measures that will allow the American people to hold my administration accountable," he said.

Mr Obama added: "Instead of just throwing money at our problems, we’ll try something new in Washington - we’ll invest in what works."

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