FOI request (FOIR-831653193)

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

I am seeking information on your authority’s expenditure on external consultants.

Please provide the following:

1. The total amount spent by the authority on external consultants for each of the following financial years:
• 2022/23
• 2023/24
• 2024/25 (or the most recent full financial year available)
2. The total amount spent on external consultants in the current financial year to date (2025/26), at the time of responding to this request.
3. For each of the above periods, please provide:
   a) The total number of consultancy contracts commissioned
   b) The aggregate (total) spend, rather than a full itemised breakdown
4. If readily available within cost limits, please also provide a breakdown of total spend by broad service area (e.g. finance, IT/digital, HR, legal, planning, social care), for:
• 2024/25
• 2025/26 year-to-date

For the purposes of this request, “consultants” should be interpreted as external individuals or firms providing professional advice or services on a temporary basis, excluding:

• agency staff filling operational roles
• permanent employees
• routine outsourced service contracts

If any part of this request exceeds the appropriate cost limit, please provide the information for questions 1 and 2 as a minimum, and advise how the request could be refined to bring the remaining elements within scope.

Please provide the information in electronic format (e.g. Excel or CSV where possible).