FOI request (FOIR-656808060)

Agency Spend

Requested Wed 23 October 2024
Responded Fri 15 November 2024

To whom it may concern,

1.      Please provide a report using the below table, showing all temporary agency spend (£) for your organisation, broken down for the last 3 financial years:

2.      Please provide a report using the below table, showing permanent agency spend (£) for your organisation, broken down for the last 3 financial years:

3.      Please provide a report using the below table, showing all temporary agency spend (£) at your organisation, broken down for the last 3 years covering the following services:

·       Legal & Governance Services

·       Finance & Corporate Services.

4.      Please provide a report using the below table, showing all permanent agency spend (£) at your organisation, broken down for the last 3 years covering the following services:

·       Legal & Governance Services

·       Finance & Corporate Services.

5.      Please provide a breakdown of all ‘off framework’ agency spend (£) at your organisation for the last 3 years covering the following services:

·       Legal & Governance Services

·       Finance & Corporate Services.

6.      Do you use any of the following model(s) to manage temporary agency recruitment (for Legal & Governance Services; Finance & Corporate Services) at this moment in time?

·       Master Vendor/Managed Service

·       Neutral Vendor

·       Preferred Supplier List

What model is used and when does this agreement expire?

7.      Do you use any of the following model(s) to manage permanent agency recruitment (for Legal & Governance Services; Finance & Corporate Services) at this moment in time?

·       Master Vendor/Managed Service

·       Neutral Vendor

·       Preferred Supplier List

What model is used and when does this agreement expire?

8.      Please confirm the number of staff members for Legal & Governance Services and Finance & Corporate Services departments and the split between permanent members of staff, temporary staff (fixed-term contracts) and agency staff in the below table for this moment in time:

9.      Who are the top 5 agencies for agency spend (£) across Legal & Governance Services and what is the breakdown of their spend over the 23-24 financial year

10.   Who are the top 5 agencies for agency spend (£) across Finance & Corporate Services and what is the breakdown of their spend over the 23-24 financial year?

11.   What frameworks, if applicable, do you use for temporary and permanent agency recruitment.

Response

1.

2021/22 - £797,784.72

2022/23 - £1,235,070.48

2023/24 - £1,005,353.24

2. N/A

3. Financial Year

Legal & Governance Services and Finance & Corporate Services

2021/22 - £50,450 and £371,085

2022/23 - £135,651 and £517,764

2023/24 - £191,665 and £582,004

4. Financial Year

Legal & Governance Services and Finance & Corporate Services

2021/22 £0 and £0

2022/23 £0 and £0

2023/24 £0 and £6,588

5. Zero amount for all years

6. NA

7. NA

8. 

9.

Company name refused (please see refusal notice below) - £166,391

Company name refused (please see refusal notice below) - £9,294

Company name refused (please see refusal notice below) - £8,440

Company name refused (please see refusal notice below) - £7,537 (only 4 used)

10.

Company name refused (please see refusal notice below) - £263,430

Company name refused (please see refusal notice below)- £157,057

Company name refused (please see refusal notice below) - £71,500

Company name refused (please see refusal notice below) - £45,934

Company name refused (please see refusal notice below) - £44,073

11. N/A

NOTICE OF REFUSAL

The information you have requested in respect of the top 5 agencies used is commercially sensitive and falls under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act – Commercially Sensitive Information

Information prejudicing commercial interests – commercial interest relating to an organisations commercial activity and may include trading activity procurement and relationships with third parties.

The exemption afforded by Section 43 is subject to what is known as the ‘public interest test’.  When applying the test in a particular case a public authority is deciding whether the public interest is better served by non-disclosure than by disclosure. 

Although the Freedom of Information Act does not define ‘in the public interest’, there is a presumption under Freedom of Information that openness is in the public interest.  In applying the public interest test a public authority will take into account the distinction that has been often made by courts between things that are in the public interest, and things that merely interest the public.  Where applicants have not identified public interest considerations succinctly or accurately, the public authority has a responsibility under the Act to make their own assessment of the public interest considerations in the particular case.

We have identified the following public interest factors that may be seen as encouraging the disclosure of information:

a)    accountability of public spending

We consider these factors to be of limited relevance in relation to the information in question.

Public interest factors seen as encouraging non-disclosure are, generally, the exemptions themselves.   In consideration of this matter we came to the following conclusions:

a)   ensuring that companies are able to compete for business fairly

b)   damage to reputation and/or financial interests

In weighing the factors for and against disclosure we have concluded that the likely benefit to the applicant and the wider public of disclosure is outweighed by the likely prejudice caused by such disclosure and that therefore the public interest is better served by non-disclosure. 

For the reasons given above we will not be communicating to you the information you have requested.