Sponsored by
Council refuses to reveal consultant fees
LEEDS council has refused to reveal how much it has paid to consultants as part of a flagship school rebuilding programme.
The local authority said it would be too expensive to disclose the information about the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme following a Freedom of Information request by the Tory Party.
At least 170m has been spent on consultants nationwide, according to figures provided by those English councils which replied to the survey.
Education Leeds refused to provide the information because it said it would take 24 hours to find, at a cost of 600.Public bodies do not have to provide information if it would take more than 18 hours to do so.
A letter from Dave Britton, information policy administrator, said: "I can confirm the information you have requested exists, however it is estimated that it would far exceed 18 hours to compile this information."
Kirklees council has spent 319,857 on external advice and Wakefield just 8,800. Bradford has paid 3.7m and Sheffield 3.6m.
The Tories accuse the government of mismanagement which meant money was being spent on expensive advice rather than on new buildings.
Leeds West Labour MP John Battle today demanded Education Leeds follow the example of its neighbours.
Mr Battle is critical of the government's use of consultants and recently discovered that the NHS is spending 300m on external advice.
He said: "I am not convinced that consultants are good value for money. Consultancy is one of the great black holes of public finance. A bit of management speak seems to delude people that they are getting value for money."
The 15-year BSF scheme is aimed at revamping or replacin, every secondary school in England at an estimated cost of up to 55bn.
Education Leeds is about half-way through its programme with 14 inner city high schools worked on. A second wave of 16 is due to be modernised from 2020.
Earlier this year, the National Audit Office warned that BSF was nearly two years behind schedule with costs up 10bn on the original estimate.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Politics: Mark Hookham's Westminster blog - 5.33pm
- Castleford RSPB Fairburn Ings: High wire act Swallows’ summer parade
- Worker dies on North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- Video: Restaurant reopens on Leeds Harry Ramsden’s site after £500,000 refit
- Chocolat author will tempt guests at Leeds Big Bookend Festival
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
