Exclusive: Crisis council's consultants' bill more than £1m

Doncaster Council, which has been heavily criticised for its failure to protect vulnerable children, has admitted it did not fully disclose how much it had paid consultants when previously asked under the Freedom of Information Act.

An earlier response detailed four consultants who had been employed in children's services, paid at rates of as much as 1,105 a day, with a total of about 750,000 being paid out.

The council now admits that due to an "oversight" a further three consultants were missed off the original list. The three – Jayne Jack, Yashi Shah and Sue Barker – were all, consecutively, assistant directors responsible for vulnerable children.

Ms Jack was paid a daily rate of 750 between April and November in 2008, Ms Shah received 780 a day between November 2008 and May 2009 and Ms Barker was paid 975 a day between May and August 2009.

In total, they received about 280,000, bringing the bill for consultants in the department to more than 1m.

English Democrat elected mayor Peter Davies, who has promised to cut high staff payments, last night said the level and control of payments was "totally unacceptable" – though he added that most of the payments had been made before he took office last June.

The role of consultants and interim appointments in children's services was recently highlighted in a damning inspection report by the Audit Commission which recommended Government intervention in the management of the authority.

The report said "the series of interim directors, and continued use of interim and temporary staff in key functions such as contact, referral and assessment has hindered safeguarding of children."

In addition, the children's services department is currently shedding 16 posts through voluntary redundancies to try to save 700,000. The council said the money would be reinvested directly in the safeguarding services that were heavily criticised after the deaths of seven children known to the authority since 2004.

It has also emerged that as well as receiving high daily payments, consultants have also received substantial expenses payments – not all of which have required the backing of receipts.

Paul Gray, the interim director of children's services between March 2008 and March 2009 at a rate of 1,105 a day, also claimed 16,698 for travel and accommodation.

Yashi Shah claimed 8,100. The first 4,953 was paid on invoices provided by her agency which the council said only identified they were for expenses. The remaining 3,147 was backed by invoices identifying expenses for travel and accommodation.

Nick Jarman, paid 800 a day to be first interim deputy children's services director and then interim director between April 2009 and January 2010, claimed 8,909 in accommodation expenses.

Jayne Jack received 4,280 for travel expenses while Jim Crook, interim director between July 2007 and March 2008 at a rate of 845 a day, claimed 2,339.

Robin Hooper, deputy director of children's services between September last year and January at a rate of 1,100 a day, was "not contractually entitled to claim expenses", said the council.

Sue Barker did not claim any expenses.

A Doncaster Council spokeswoman said: "Receipts and itemised expenses were available for some consultants as part of the invoice."

Labour councillor Marilyn Green, who chaired the scrutiny committee for children's services until this month's local elections, said: "We didn't have the experts for safeguarding children in place and that was critical. I appreciate the consultants were expensive but what price do you put on a child's life?"