Shock increase for spend on consultants at Town Hall

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 16th Feb 2007

Labour bosses on Sheffield City Council have agreed to an increased bill for consultants charged with recommending job cuts within the Town Hall. The outside firm will now be paid a staggering £600,000 for their services.

Liberal Democrats have highlighted the move as typical of the twisted bureaucratic decisions and waste at the council. They have questioned the logic of spending huge sums of taxpayers' money on consultants in order to make job cuts due to a lack of resources.

PA Consultants were originally hired by the Labour Council for £350,000 in order to head up a review designed to recommend widescale job cuts. The cost cutting review has already ordered the shedding of over 250 jobs in social care services with further cuts in other council services expected.

Liberal Democrats on the council originally opposed Labour hiring the consultants last September. Lib Dems believe the council itself should put forward plans to make savings aimed at avoiding front-line job losses.

Cllr Andrew Sangar, Shadow Cabinet member for Finance and Performance, said: -

"It is simply illogical for Labour to spend £600,000 of taxpayers money on hiring consultants to recommend job losses due to a lack of resources at the council. This move highlights the kind of twisted bureaucratic decision making that is resulting in taxpayers' money being wasted"

"The decision to hire these axe-wielding consultants was a mistake in the first place and in itself is one of the reasons why resources are limited. This increase in cost by £250,000 will put even greater pressure on budgets and could lead to more unnecessary job losses"

"We believe that there is significant scope to make savings, but unlike Labour we don't need expensive consultants to tell us how to do it. We are committed to cutting out waste and reducing the number of council fat-cats in order to deliver good front-line services and value for money"