Council pays out £5m – to be told what to do
11:51am Friday 28th September 2007
Comments (8)CRITICS have blasted councillors for spending millions of pounds of Dorset taxpayers' money on consultant work their own staff should be doing.
A Freedom of Information request by the Dorset Echo discovered Dorset County Council spent almost £5 million in the last four years.
More than £2 million was spent on work for environmental services and £306,667 on social care and adult services.
Corin Taylor, spokesman for the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "The real test of consultants' work is whether you have better services and lower council tax as a result. Often that doesn't happen.
"Councils spend millions on consultants but at the same time they cut services and put up the number of staff they employ and what they pay them. So council tax payers seem to be paying more and getting less."
The figures show the amount spent on consultant fees has increased over the last four years, with the exception of a slight drop in the last year.
In the period 2003-4 £900,907 was spent - compared to £1,368,000 two years later.
Elaine Taylor, director for corporate resources at Dorset County Council, said: "It is inappropriate to monitor the monetary value of these consultants.
"Their input into projects need to be validated by the outcomes and benefits of the work that they have delivered or contributed to."
The council also paid financial experts at Deloitte £350,000 earlier this year to advise it how to save money. It needed help to get around a £20 million shortfall. Critics said the advice from Deloitte after four months work included very obvious suggestions.
Your Say YourThisisdorset
John Muscroft, Yorkshire says...
12:34pm Fri 28 Sep 07
The usual result seems to be loss of staff at the sharp end, where more resources are needed, and the setting on of more senior "managers" to oversee the change. I left local government 2 years ago to go freelance. My first job was doing "consultancy" work with a neighbouring authority at a far higher level and at a much higher salary than I had previously earned. Many of the ideas that I forwarded were as a result of talking to the people who has the greatest understanding of the problems ie THE STAFF.
whstle blower, says...
12:51pm Fri 28 Sep 07
James Young, Dorchester says...
1:37pm Fri 28 Sep 07
John Muscroft wrote:John, i am a freelancer myself. Although we are paid more, in most cases the cost to the organisation is the same as employing a permanent staff member. There are no tax and NI costs, no holiday pay, no sick pay, no pension or redundancy rights.
It seems that this is the latest disease to hit local authorities. It is certainly the same in South Yorkhire. I worked for the L.A for 31 years. In the latter years we were plagued with consultants who knew little or nothing about the business. They continually show no interest in advice that the workforce could give them then come up with some completely useless schemes. Unfortunately "management" seem to take the advice on board. The usual result seems to be loss of staff at the sharp end, where more resources are needed, and the setting on of more senior "managers" to oversee the change. I left local government 2 years ago to go freelance. My first job was doing "consultancy" work with a neighbouring authority at a far higher level and at a much higher salary than I had previously earned. Many of the ideas that I forwarded were as a result of talking to the people who has the greatest understanding of the problems ie THE STAFF.
That said, there is a big difference between what a freelancer like you or I would bill, and what a large company would bill, and like you i share the view that most of these consultants have no idea what they are talking about.
Mike Maber, says...
2:03pm Fri 28 Sep 07
What an incredible statement!
Terry, weymuff says...
4:22pm Fri 28 Sep 07
Artful dodger, in a Tax haven says...
5:11pm Fri 28 Sep 07
Keep paying now, no questions please....your British.
LOL!
Artful dodger, pleasure island says...
5:14pm Fri 28 Sep 07
I quote...A Freedom of Information request by the Dorset Echo discovered Dorset County Council spent almost £5 million in the last four years."
Blimey Echo, that's called Jounalism steady on there. Well done if this is the case.
Why do you not do such things ALL the time instead of cat up tree news?
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Albo, Wyke Regis says...
12:09pm Fri 28 Sep 07
It's not a great deal of effort for any business to take a good hard look at the way it works without shelling out money on these loons.