Council defends £2m planning experts bill for Bridlington blueprint
A £2M consultants' bill for work on a Bridlington regeneration scheme has been defended by East Riding Council.
Critics have questioned why more than £2.1m was spent buying in expertise for the Bridlington Area Action Plan.
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Regeneration: East Riding Council leader Stephen Parnaby in Bridlington. Picture: Simon Kench
They point out East Riding Council is faced with making £43m of savings over the next three financial years and already has a well-staffed planning and economic regeneration directorate.
But East Riding Council deputy leader Jonathan Owen said: "Those people manage the day-to-day operation of the council.
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"It is quite normal to bring in consultants for schemes of this scale. I don't think any local authorities carry experts like that. This is not out of the ordinary."
One company, Atkins Ltd, has been paid more than £1.9m over the past seven years.
Its specialists prepared the Bridlington Area Action Plan, a blueprint for how the town will be developed over the next 15 years.
Other companies were also involved.
Mayor of Bridlington Michael Charlesworth has been a critic of the scheme from the outset.
He described spending such a large amount of money on consultants as "disgusting" and said the council employs highly-paid people already.
Former East Riding councillor Geoff Pickering, who gave evidence to the inquiry that eventually approved the scheme, said the amount of money that had been spent should be investigated.
But Mr Owen said: "Both those people were major objectors to the scheme all the way along. Maybe they could explain how this money should have been spent."
East Riding Council has also pointed out £1.4m of the costs were met by the now abolished regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, rather than the council.
Mr Owen said: "My personal view is we haven't been profligate with money.
"We're talking about a £60m scheme into which the council has put in about a third.
"The experts the council has in-house deal with more mundane, day-to-day operations.
"If schemes of this scale happened all the time we'd have people employed to deal with them."
The Bridlington Area Action Plan was approved in August after an 18-month planning inquiry.
But the inspector ruled out the development of the harbour top.
That decision delighted the Harbour Commissioners, who had claimed it would have threatened the operation of the port.
Mr Owen said he felt the whole scheme should have been approved.
He said: "It was perceived by the council that the harbour top would be a nice part of the scheme.
"When the scheme is developed I think people will wish to see the harbour top developed."
Comments
by democracy_now
Friday, October 12 2012, 6:11PM
“I know from personal experience with many organizations (in the private sector) that a lot of consultants are a waste of money. This latest story does not surprise me. I just wish that residents in the East Riding would realize how local politics affect their everyday lives, and if the majority of them voted, we would get councilors that really represent us instead of self serving, self promoting individuals like Parnaby.”
by CarmellaBrown
Thursday, October 11 2012, 9:39PM
“How much do they pay Parnabys Photographer ?? That I would like to KNOW!”
by balddick
Thursday, October 11 2012, 8:56PM
“Politicians=CROOKS.”
by AstonomiaSK
Thursday, October 11 2012, 5:52PM
“£ 2.1 million wasted on over priced consultants.
£2.5 million increase for poor, sick, vulnerable residents of working age from April next year.
Parno's robin hood poll tax (only paying 75% of benefit) whist the rich and the consultants get richer.
Shame on them.”
by jezhull
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 6:08PM
“Incredible, Parnaby and his cronies are good at wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers money.
I wonder if they have friends or relatives employed by these so called expert consultants?
All consultants ever do is ask to borrow your watch, tell you what time it is, and then give it back after charging a fortune for doing so.
Please vote for anyone but Parnaby when the next elections come round.”
by PeeScooper
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 5:02PM
“I think it's time to take a stand against these muppets. Wasting our money on rubbish, yet you see how long it takes to get a walk in shower or a stairlift fitted for a disabled resident? Pathetic....”
by TIGERPETER
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 4:53PM
“I have great difficulty understanding the mindset of our public services. Both the government and our local councils pay a great deal of money to qualified experts in both the planning and building departments managers. Why then is it necessary to pay out £2m to so called "consultants."? In my opinion it is because if the project goes wrong our public service managers have someone to blame. So there jobs and pensions are protected.”
by qualitychap
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 4:36PM
“what a disgrace,all councils waste huge amounts of money on these so called consultants,a council should be able to do there own consulting in house,some of these overpaid council leaders are not fit for purpose.”
by IllaGhee1
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 12:05PM
“because its their pals who own the consultancy firm secret handshakes all the way and they wonder why people turn to crime maybe its the daylight robbery you all get away with.”
by Legal_Driver
Wednesday, October 10 2012, 10:25AM
“" East Riding Council is faced with making £43m of savings over the next three financial years " - maybe they should make a start by cutting the pay of the 'fat cats' at the top of the management. None of them are worth a 6 figure salary!!”