Jersey government criticised for being 'too reliant' on consultants after £111.8m spend

In one example, a single consultant was costing the government more than £300,000 each year. Credit: ITV Channel

The Jersey government is facing criticism for being "too reliant" on consultants after a massive £111.8m spend, according to a review of their current role in Jersey.

The report by Jersey's Comptroller and Auditor General was a follow-up into how consultants were used on the island and found the practice was "not value for money".

While the report said consultants can provide great benefits when used correctly, misuse can drain budgets "very quickly", stating the Jersey government has become too reliant on consultants for non-major projects.

The report also found £111.8m was spent on healthcare consultancy from 2019 to 2022.

For example, the Team Jersey project, designed to train more managers to move away from consultants within the government, ironically cost £1.8m in consultancy fees.

Another example saw the government spend more than £300,000 annually on just one consultant.

The Auditor General Lynn Pamment CBE stated: "Some of the contractors being used by Government are ex-employees paid at higher rates than when they were employees."

She has called for an overarching workforce plan to be implemented to move away from consultants.

Other recommendations include identifying skill gaps in key areas, and reviewing how consultants will be used in the future.

Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham agreed consultancy costs were 'very very high', but also said the use of consultants could be 'justifiable'. Credit: ITV Channel

Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham has said reducing this spending is a "high priority".

He added: "We currently have over 200 projects being run by the government involving consultants and that's something we are going to address as a matter of priority."

Despite this, the Chief Minister also said that the use of consultants can be "justifiable".

He explained: "We have to bring in certain skills for major projects and we cannot avoid that because we don't have the skills on the island to deal with things like that.

"So there are exceptions to the rule."

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