S.Wales Evening Post - 31 October 2005
Specialist consultants have cost Swansea Council a massive £4 million in the past 14 months.Tax payers in the county have had to foot the bill for the expert advice taken since the Lib Dem, Independent and Conservative coalition came into power. The figures have been released after a Freedom of Information request by the Post.
Around 50 consultancy firms have benefited from the cash, costing each Swansea resident around £17.Swansea Council has defended the use of consultants saying they are a necessary part of local government.Council leader Chris Holley said he was surprised by the figure and would be looking at it in more detail.
He said: "What we are doing is we are going to do some research and break these figures down.
"This is the total amount of money that has been paid out, but we are concerned about the rational for why some of these figures have been included in a list of consultants' fees."
Councillor Holley said some of the bills included in the list, such as the £565,387 for council auditors PriceWaterhousecoopers, were paid for with direct grants from the Assembly and was something every authority had to do.
A number of private firms were also brought in by the council to advise on a variety issue.
Lawyers Pinsent Masons has received £591,000 in the past 14 months while technology advisors the Society of Information Technology Management was paid almost £1 million since July 2004 for their work on the eGovernment programme.
A spokesman for Swansea's Labour group said he agreed with Mr Holley that some roles would not be best filled by employing full-time staff and that consultants had to be brought in for some cases.
He said: "It is a startling figure but without knowing what this money was used for we cannot say whether there this was money well spent.
"But £4 million is an exceptionally large figure. At a time when the council is pleading poverty and things like the Citizens Advice Bureau is in doubt, it doesn't seem to make financial sense.
"We will be asking questions about these figures."
Mike Jones, the Swansea branch secretary of the Small Business Federation, said that the council needed to be open about its use of consultants.
He said: "Whether you are a small business, a large business or even a city council, you need to have a business plan.
"Sometimes expert advice is needed and so I wouldn't say the money has necessarily been wasted. Having said that, I wouldn't say it has been well spent.
"The council needs to be as open as possible about these payments and ensure they are getting value for money for tax payers."
