Aberdeen City Council has spent nearly £22million on outside consultants in the past three years, shock figures have revealed.
Despite regularly complaining about being the lowest funded council in Scotland, the figures show spending on consultants has increased by more than £2million in the past year.
Last night council chiefs said much of the spend had been down to work “getting in gear” on the ambitious 25-year city centre masterplan.
The freedom of information figures show that council chiefs spent a total of £8.92million on consultants in 2016, £6.18million in 2015 and £6.75million in 2014.
Nearly £19million of the £21.8million spent in the three years was filed under “communities, housing and infrastructure” monies.
The consultants fees cover anyone taken in from an outside body to advise the council.
Grant Webster, information compliance officer, at the town house added: “By ‘consultants’, we have included any individuals or companies hired from outside the council to carry out a specific set task.
“(They) will include transactions as varied as the design of the AWPR to the hiring of a specialist music tutor to provide a lesson in playing a musical instrument.”
Last night council finance convener Willie Young said: “The figures seem quite big but we have to remember that this is over three years and the money is being spent on all sorts of things.”
But the council was under fire last night with calls for more services to be provided in house.
Liam Kerr, Conservative MSP for the north-east, said: “The people of Aberdeen will be shocked to hear that several million pounds a year in public money is being spent on outside consultants.
“It is particularly concerning that it is happening at a time when the Scottish Government is cutting the council’s budget, prompting difficult decisions such as the closure of local swimming pools.
“I appreciate that external advice is sometimes required, but people will rightly ask if more of this work cannot be done in-house by the many thousands of staff that are employed by the local authority.”
Eben Wilson of pressure group Taxpayer Scotland said: “You have to question why we are paying council officers so much out of taxpayer money if they can’t do the jobs they are paid for.
“The use of specialist consultants can be justified but you have to wonder where all these millions are going.”
