Millions spent on consultants despite job cuts

The cost of hiring consultants in the civil service last year was more than double the amount paid in redundancies, a national newspaper reports.

While government departments shed staff to meet chancellor George Osborne’s arbitrary demands for spending cuts, analysis by the Times has found 17 of them spent up to £800 million on consultants and temporary staff (£) last year.

The newspaper also reports that Cabinet Office figures show these departments spent almost £300 million on redundancy payments (£) over the same period.

The highest overall payouts were from the Ministry of Justice, which paid £89 million, and the Department of Work and Pensions at £67 million.

The Times says both sets of figures increase when non-departmental public bodies are factored in.

In a statement to the media, our general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Behind these figures for redundancies are thousands of stories of individuals who have lost their jobs and are counting the cost of this government’s political obsession with austerity.

“The fact that millions is still being spent on consultants shows there is work to do and that these cuts are completely unnecessary.”