READERS of the Derby Telegraph have had their say on Derby City Council's decision to hire consultants costing £400,000.
The authority says the spending of taxpayers' money will save millions long-term as its own employees do not have the expertise needed for the work.
But Derby Telegraph readers have reacted angrily to the news, wondering how the council, which is having to make unprecedented cuts, is finding the cash.
User Croc_Gunn_D wrote on www.derbytelegraph.co.uk: "They are spending a large amount of ratepayers' money to do what council staff were allocated to do.
"Surely councillors need to research this kind of thing when they run for office, not after."
Taking to the Telegraph's Facebook page, Andy Stephenson agreed: "This is a joke.
"Imagine if I was a teacher, but wasn't sure how I should teach, so asked the school to hire another person to write all my lesson plans, mark all my students' homework and stand by me when I deliver the lessons."
And Josephine Mifsud said: "What is it with members of government and councils hiring consultants, when they themselves are already being paid – handsomely – to do the job?
"It ought to be a rule that when consultants are hired, a percentage should be taken out of the hirer's salary."
But Ashley Lenton believed the long-term savings would be worth it: "My company does it all the time. It's nothing new. They pay £500,000 and make a return of £1,000,000. They know what they're doing.
"They find all the processes and find where they can save money and make money. This is good news, not bad news.
"Seems most of you are just looking at the figure."
Councillor Baggy Shanker, who is tasked with overseeing the reshaping of the council, said: "These projects are focused on changing customer and service provider behaviours to reduce pressures on key services, as well as enhancing services to improve customer satisfaction.
"The council do not currently have the specialist skills and expertise in-house to develop these trials at the outset."
