Just six out of the 18 MPs representing the West Midlands have made their expenses claims available to their constituents online.

The region’s Members of Parliament were elected promising a break with the scandal-plagued past of the House of Commons. But most of them have failed to declare their expenses independently.

Instead, it will be up to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to produce details of claims in a report due to be released on Thursday.

The six who have taken the step of disclosing all their costs in advance are newly elected and won their seats on May 6.

Tories Chris Kelly, MP for Dudley South, Margot James of Stourbridge, James Morris of Halesowen and Rowley Regis, Aidan Burley of Cannock Chase and Jeremy Lefroy of Stafford, and Labour’s Valerie Vaz, Walsall South, all provide access to the information on their homepages.

Mr Kelly said the issue of expenses had been regularly brought up when he was out canvassing.

He said: “Even before the expenses scandal when I was just the candidate I made a decision that I should be fully open and transparent.

“It is so easy in the modern world to publish such information openly that there is no reason to not do so.”

On his website he reveals that his office in Netherton claimed for second class postage along with £199.30 for a four-drawer filing cabinet.

Margot James revealed she claimed £4,415.98 in office costs, £1,619.69 in phone bills and mileage and £17,733.07 to pay her staff between May and August.

She said she wanted to make her expenses as “accessible as possible” and would publish updates every quarter.

But the issue of expenses remains a sensitive one for many MPs.

When asked his intentions, Warley Labour MP John Spellar said “leave it out” and promptly hung up the telephone.