Previous Government Spent £58m On Consultants

Tuesday, 27 February 2024 at 11:49

Jersey's last government spent nearly £60 million on consultants in its eighteen months in office.

Delayed figures, revealed in answer to a written question posed by Deputy Max Andrews, show the spend was £40 million last year, and almost £18 million in the last six months of 2022.

The Chief Minister is supposed to publish the cost of consultants every six months, but the numbers have been delayed by 'other government priorities' and the need to divert resources from 'non-critical operational activities'.

It was Deputy Kirsten Morel, who was Deputy Chief Minister under Kirstina Moore's government, who - in 2019 - pushed for regular data and greater clarity on how taxpayers' money is spent on consultants.

There is no breakdown of these figures just out, but the total is almost £58 million pounds under Deputy Kristina Moore's tenure. That doesn't include interims, agency or fixed term contract employees.

By comparison, £30m million went on consultants in the last 12 months of John Le Fondre's administration.

The government says more details and data from late 2022 will be published in a report on Tuesday (27 February), showing what departments and projects the consultancy spend went on.

Since June 2022, £57,895,396 has been expended on consultant remuneration. pic.twitter.com/kHVqaoycza
— Deputy Max Andrews (@MaxandrewsJ) February 26, 2024