Hull City Council leader Brady 'comfortable' with £430k being spent on consultants
CITY council leader Steve Brady says he is "comfortable" about £430,000 being spent on consultants drawing up plans to cut up to 240 jobs at the authority.
Corporate finance experts from Deloitte have been hired by the council to put forward proposals to restructure its business support department.
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Budget agreed: Hull City Council leader Steve Brady.
Their plans include overhauling the department's largely paper- based systems with computerised working.
In doing so, up to 240 posts within the section could be axed.
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Opposition Liberal Democrats claim a recent decision record authorising a further £65,000 payment to Deloitte to help with the upgrading of computer software was a sign even more spending on consultants could follow.
Deputy Lib Dem leader Mike Ross said: "We all need to keep a close eye on the costs of these consultants.
"I think it is very likely the costs will continue to rocket and the only thing the Labour administration will have to show for it is cuts to jobs and services.
"We said when the proposals first came out there were serious issues about how it had been handled and it looks like we have been proved right."
Councillor Ross said the ruling Labour group had campaigned against job cuts at the authority when it was in opposition.
But Councillor Brady said the Lib Dems had ducked the issue when they were in charge of the council.
He said: "The fact is, the last Liberal Democrat budget left that department to find £3 million of savings without any clear idea of how those savings could be achieved.
"I think all parties accept savings have to be made because of what this Government is doing to local councils.
"What we are doing now is only what the Lib Dems should have done at the time. The key difference is we have brought in consultants to make sure we can achieve savings without having an impact on frontline services.
"A budget has been agreed for that work but they are only being paid if they deliver the kind of savings they say they can.
"I would have thought anyone would think that it is a sensible way of going about things.
"If the savings don't materialise, they don't get paid. I am very comfortable with that."
Speaking at a council scrutiny meeting yesterday, he said: "We are facing a situation where there are going to be year-on-year cuts in Government funding between now and 2020.
"I have no regrets about campaigning over job cuts.
"At the time it was too far and too fast. You can't have 1,000 people leaving the organisation within the same month without the remaining staff being affected.
"However, you can mitigate a lot of job losses by being more efficient and flexible."
Separate plans for a slimmed- down senior management team at the Guildhall are expected to be approved on Friday.
Comments
by Strangley
Thursday, September 06 2012, 8:48PM
“Never forget the consultant's mantra
"If you are not part of the solution, there is good money to be made in proloning the problem"”
by AstonomiaSK
Thursday, September 06 2012, 8:26PM
“HDM continue to refuse publication of an article re the Tories plans to charge council tax to EVERYONE in the East Riding. Benefit will NOT be paid at 100% . They are targeting the sick disabled poor and vulnerable.
Fact:- Amount of money raised from charging the most vulnerable in the East Riding = £2.5 million
Fact: Amount of money Parnaby and freind will spend on their beloved Beverlaay market place £2.5 million.
This is social cleansing and unprecedented. We fought WW2 to stop facism not to install it in the East Riding.
Social cleansing by stealth. Stealing from the sick, infirm, poor and vulnerable!
How can anyone with a concience vote for these people?”
by EROYDES
Wednesday, September 05 2012, 1:47AM
“Simply put Mr Brady - you are a disgrace to what the Labour Party stands for.
Use your own staff within the council to come up with decisions about where the axe will fall.
Have the guts to be truely accountable. That's what people elected you for wasn't it?”
by HullFC2102
Tuesday, September 04 2012, 10:32PM
“unified
Your defiantly a council member of the Hull City Council Labour party.
Telling a poster to shut up because he has an opinion which differs to yours pretty much sums up the Labour Party in Hull
Shut up/go away is what the Labour Council in Hull have being saying to private investment for the last 30 years and that's why Hull is 20 years behind all the other major Cities.”
by Leaming Steve Plant Ltd
Tuesday, September 04 2012, 6:37PM
“when i drive around hull and see these council workers there is always 4/6 of them and two lorrys and only two working so its a two man job but you send 4/6 firstly get rid of who gives the jobs out because they dont know what they are doing then get rid of 3 0f the workers and make the other 3 work simple i will only charge you 50k for using my brain...:)”
by horbaczewski
Tuesday, September 04 2012, 5:51PM
“I'm so glad you feel comfortable WASTING OUR MONEY.”
by AngryAudrey
Tuesday, September 04 2012, 5:50PM
“by unified
Can I suggest you get your facts right. I know for a fact that some staff did not leave until May/June.”
by ErnestDeadman
Tuesday, September 04 2012, 5:19PM
“Well that's 1% of the council tax wasted.”
by unified
Tuesday, September 04 2012, 5:12PM
“Neddyfonk.
Consultants are used to identify jobs that can go because senior managers will only identify some one elses job never their own.
A Councillor no matter which councillor is not equiped to trawl through the jobs pool to look for savings.
Thats cslled micro management and would be a disaster for all concerned.
If you ever come across a councillor who is looking to sack indeviduals, get rid of them not the employees”
by unified
Tuesday, September 04 2012, 5:07PM
“David Nivea Grow up
Unpaid rates apply to the deceased, bankrupt shops, closing factories and those lose their homes and have them repossed.
You can chase them as much as you like, but a person who loses their house and is homeless is not in the potion of paying outstanding rates.
The reason the same figue keeps cropping up is because thats how many lose jobs, homes, factories each year.”