Barnet Council: Agency& Consultancy Costs

Every year the Council produces a Budget and each year redundancies are issued. One of the duties the Council has when considering making staff redundant is to make sure that they have looked at all spend before issuing redundancy notices. Over the last few years the Agency & Consultancy spend has become a major issue facing public sector bodies and central government. On 4 June this year Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:

“Getting council business out in the open will revolutionise local government.  Local people should be able to hold politicians and public bodies to account over how their hard earned cash is being spent and decisions made on their behalf. They can only do that effectively if they have the information they need at their fingertips”

According to the Figures produced online it appears the Council spend on Consultants is

Total for Q2                                            £8,720,573.32

Total for Q1                                            £10,646,080.67

Total for Qs 1&2                                     £19,366,653.99

Extrapolation for the year                       £38,733,307.98

In relation to Agency spend the Council spent

Total for Quarter 2                                  £2,022,422.60

Total for Quarter 1                                  £2,132,180.86

Total for Quarters 1&2                            £4,154,603.46

Extrapolation for the year                        £8,309,206.92

The above spend is something the Trade Unions are taking up with the Council especially in light of number of jobs and services at risk identified in the Strategic Budget proposals.