Powys spends £3.3m on consultants

By Gareth Williams, Local Democracy Reporter

Powys County Council has spent more than a million pounds a year on consultants over the past three years, it can be revealed.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service shows our local authority has splashed out £3.3m on consultant fees since 2015.

Over £18m has been spent by eight mid and north Wales councils, with Powys coming in second behind Anglesey which has spent £9.5m since 2015.

Anglesey's spend, which is more than the other seven authorities combined, has been largely blamed on substantial projects such as Wylfa Newydd – with the outlay set to be repaid by the developers.The island’s MP, Albert Owen, described the figures as ‘alarming’ considering households are facing a rise in their council tax bills.

The £18m total covers anyone taken in from an outside body to advise the authorities on various matters.

According to a Powys spokesperson, its spend was necessary to provide expertise on issues that the authority does not possess within its ranks.

“Powys County Council uses external consultants for one off, ad hoc pieces of work where particular expertise or experience is required that the council does not have in-house, a spokesperson said.

“They can also be used if the council requires an independent evaluation or assessment to be made. Information about the use of consultants and a list of expenditure is published on the council’s website.”