Somerset Council has incurred expenses exceeding £33 million on consultants and agency staff over the past two and a half years, highlighting the financial strain it currently faces.
Since declaring a financial emergency in November 2023, the council has relied heavily on “exceptional financial support” from central government to manage its budgets for 2024 and 2025. In response to inquiries from the Conservative opposition, the council disclosed that over £33 million has been spent on consultants and agency workers since April 2023—an amount roughly equivalent to the savings achieved in the first phase of its transformation programme.
Despite these high costs, the council asserts it has realized “significant savings” since the emergency declaration. Much of the agency expenditure is attributed to national shortages in critical professions such as social workers, planning officers, occupational therapists, and legal experts, limiting the council’s ability to employ permanent staff in these roles.
READ MORE: Major Enhancements Planned for Stourhead to Protect and Improve Visitor Experience
READ MORE: Popular Channel 5 Series “Inside Longleat” Returns for a New Season
At a full council meeting held in Bridgwater on September 25, Conservative Councillor Dawn Denton voiced concerns over the rising use of consultants and agency staff since the current administration took office in May 2022. She emphasized that, while some contracts are small and long-term, their combined value amounts to millions of pounds in public funds. Denton called for greater transparency, urging that detailed spending information be made accessible to councillors and the general public.
Following the meeting, the council confirmed that £33.5 million was spent through its main supplier, Matrix: £12.5 million in 2023/24, £14.2 million planned for 2024/25, and £6.8 million so far in 2025/26. These figures exclude costs from other agencies or consultancies and do not account for an additional £20 million allocated to consultants leading phase two of the transformation programme. This upcoming phase aims to close a projected budget gap that could reach £101 million in 2026/27, posing a severe risk of bankruptcy for the council.
The council’s transformation programme also involved workforce reductions, eliminating 555 posts—leading to nearly 300 redundancies—and reducing the pay bill by £33 million.
Councillor Denton criticized the council’s finances, stating, “Somerset Council is cutting services for our residents, increasing council tax, and yet writing blank cheques to consultants. That is not responsible leadership, does not build trust, or balance the books. Somerset deserves leadership that invests in its own people, not costly sticking-plaster solutions.”
Conservative councillors have intensified their scrutiny of the Liberal Democrat administration’s handling of the financial crisis. Councillor Sue Osborne notably compared a recent financial report to “more red lights flashing than you’d ever find in a red light district,” emphasizing the council’s precarious position.
The council, for its part, maintains that heavy reliance on agency staff was a planned interim measure during restructuring to avoid hiring permanent staff who might later face redundancy. It states a commitment to reducing agency dependency by converting temporary staff to permanent roles where feasible. However, persistent national shortages in specialist roles necessitate continued agency engagement to ensure uninterrupted delivery of essential public services.