North Lincolnshire Council has cut it’s spend on consultants for major projects in half from £2.8m two years ago to £1.3m.
The council continues to be vigilant, with services having to report regularly on their use of consultants.
The council cannot eliminate altogether its use of consultants as it needs them to fill the gap in specialist skills.
Last year, the council used consultants to support major projects including The Baths Hall, Building Schools for the Future, and The Pods.
Cllr Neil Poole, cabinet member for finance, procurement and IT services at North Lincolnshire Council, said:
“The amount the council spends on use of consultants is at its lowest in four years.
“We are prudent and vigilant when we go about our business. And rightly so.
“We need to ensure that we only use consultants where is it absolutely necessary - where it is clear we do not have the expertise in house, and then it must be very carefully considered.
“To save £1m in just one year is a fantastic achievement and there’s no reason why we can’t continue to see excellent results.”
Spend on consultants:
2011/12 - £1.3m
2010/11 - £2.3m
2009/10 - £2.8m
A consultant is a person (not an employee), agency or firm engaged for a limited period of time on a fee basis to carry out a specific task or tasks. A consultant provides subject matter expertise and/or experience to the council either because it does not possess the skills or resources in-house or because an independent evaluation is required.
