The York Council spent £1.2 million on employing consultants during the last financial year. The expenditure is broadly in line with previous years (09/10 – £1.3M, 10/11 – £1.2M).

The Council uses consultants to undertake work when either it doesn’t have the internal capacity &/or the skills to deliver specialist projects.

The figures would, therefore, be unsurprising were it not for the fact that in December last year the “Cabinet” member with responsibility for corporate decisions of this sort (Coun Julie Gunnell) was quoted in the local newspaper as saying, “Since taking control of the council from the Lib Dems we have sought to rebalance the use of consultants and now only use them where absolutely necessary!”

So everyone seems to be agreed then that expenditure of around 0.5% of the total budget on the use of external companies is about what might be expected?

In reality there is a conflict between Labour’s grand expenditure plans and the reduced capacity of the Council workforce now that many managers have been sacked.

The top 5 consultancy contractors employed by the York Council during the last year were:
1. Sweet Group, £201,115, quantity surveying services
2. Amtel Consulting, £125,133, management consultancy and specialist interim services
3. Halcrow, £77,539, Highway design consultants
4. Crosby Interim Consultancy Services, £77,474, specialist interim services
5. V4 Services, £26,075, management consultancy and specialist interim services