SPENDING on staff in three council departments has increased by £600,000 over the last three years, a report has revealed.

The council spent £4.2 million on consultancy staff in three departments during 2008/09 compared to £3.6 million in 2006/07.

Adults and Community Services spent more than £900,000 in 2008/09 while Environment and Regeneration blew more than £430,000 over the same period and Children and Young Peoples Services splashed out on almost £340,000.

Council officers gave a variety of excuses as to why the departments had spent so much money.

The bungled transfer of services between the council and Edu Action last year, where the authority lost £3.5 million of tax payers money, was blamed for the high spending in Children and Young Services.

A multi-million pound contact, which would have seen more than 100 council staff (formerly of EduAction) transfer to VT Education and Skills, was due to be signed in February last year.

But it was relaised at the last moment that provision had not been included in the contract for 21 senior staff members.

Frantic councillors and officers agreed to plug the gap with £3.4 million worth of efficiency savings, which were supposed to balance the budget.

The council blamed Edu Action for the gaffe claiming the job numbers quoted by them were incorrect.

At the scrutiny meeting, officers admitted the council had to hire a team of accountants on a one-off basis to look into ways the authority could recoup the missing millions at a cost of nearly £90 per hour.

The council hires consultancy staff to carry out short-term specialist work or to fill a role on an interim basis.

The report was presented to the council's Finance Scrutiny Sub-Committee, which met in the Town Hall on Wednesday, July 8.

Speaking about the numbers of consultancy staff, Cllr Bhogal, added: “I think the gap between the number of consultancy staff and council staff is too much.

“We are paying too much for the consultancy staff that needs to be taken care of.”

The report showed Environment and Regeneration's resources department spent more than £100,000 to a consultant to provide cover during the last financial year.

It also spent nearly £180,000 during the last financial year on three consultants to cover three roles in the council's sustainable communities strategy – but these positions have now been filled by permanent employees of the authority.

Adults and Communities spent more than £30,000 during the last financial year to pay an accountant in social services, however the position was axed during an efficiency review.

Children and Young Peoples Services spent nearly £100,000 on a consultant appointed from the Home Office to cover a secondment to the youth justice board.

Two years ago the Guardian revealed that the council was paying then interim chief executive Roger Taylor, a consultant, up to £90,000 more than the usual salary for his post.

The committee agreed to review the information in greater detail at the next meeting.