Council spends £6m on temporary staff and costs are still rising

In four out of the last six years, Folkestone & Hythe District Council have spent more than a million pounds on employing temporary staff. Between April 2016 and Dec 2021, they’ve spent £6m, and this is set to rise, as the end of the financial year and the data eveidences it will climb to about £6.2 or £6.3m, by the end of the financial year – March 31 2022. The permanent workforce as of April 2016 was 385, and rose to approximately 450 staff by April 2021.

From the bar chart below it is clear Covid has not had a serious impact on our Council, as they’ve employed less staff during 2020/21.

Of all this money spent on temporary staff between April 2016 and Dec 2021, the number one supplier paid was HR GO (Kent) Ltd. They are owned by HR Go PLC and the ultimate controlling person of that company is John Charles Parkinson.

Back in 2016 HR Go was one of the temp agencies’ using tax avoidance schemes which deprived the exchequer of ‘hundreds of millions‘. And HR Go hit the headlines in 2021, again accused of a ‘tax dodge‘, yet the Council continue to use this company.

When one takes the average spend per year, it reaches £1,004,529, every year for six years. This is a record for Folkestone & Hythe District Council, but not one which delivers best value where the council must  “make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness“, as per Section 3 of the Local Government Act 1999 (as amended by s137 of the Local Government & Public Involvement in Health Act 2007).

As always, we’ll leave you to make your mind up if spending £6m on temporary staff delivers best value to our council and the ratepayers of the district.

The Shepway Vox Team

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