Cost of job-cutting programme ‘soars’

About £740,000 has already been spent on consultants who have been drafted in to modernise Hull Council’s business support section, in a move which will see 240 jobs axed. Now the council is set to spend £76,000 on IT software backing the organisational support review (OSR).

The council hopes to save £5.7m in the first two years.

But Lib Dem group leader Coun Abigail Bell said: “We need to keep a close eye on the OSR spending because senior Labour councillors have already committed to giving consultants £740,000 to run it. A lot of people – including lifelong Labour voters – will be questioning why Labour is choosing to spend another £76,000 on this at a time when they’re sacking staff and hiking council tax.”

Labour has previously said consultants will only be paid when savings are delivered. No one was available to comment from Labour.