Council temporary staff costs rise to £1.6m and sets new all-time record

It’s a new record and by some margin.

Folkestone & Hythe District Council have spent £1,664,639 on temporary staff between April 22 and Mar 23. 

We predicted back in Nov 2022, temporary staff costs would surpass £1m for the third time during Dr Susan Priest’s tenure. Then in March 2023, we suspected it would pass the £1.5m mark, once February 23 and March 23 data was released, and we have not been disappointed.

The council have spent 25% more on temporary staff than they did in their previous record year of 2019/20. 

Under Dr Priest’s tenure as Chief Exec & Head of Paid Services (pictured), the all time record back in 2019/20 was £1,338,239. Now that record has been dismantled in this financial year 2022/23.

Temporary employees are people that employers – such as Folkestone & Hythe District Council – contract to a job for a limited period through a third-party agency that staffs for other companies.

Moving on, a break down of Temporary Staff costs for the financial year 2022/23, and for the period Apr – Mar 2023, shows that £1,664,693 had been spent. This is the latest data available broken down by monthly payments.

Between Apr 22 and Mar 2023, Folkestone & Hythe District Council have made 624 payments to twenty six agencies, according to their payment to suppliers data.

We have to ask, why so many temporary staff? Is it indicative of a workplace where people are not happy? Is the turnover due to Bullying? Sexual Harassment? being thrown under the bus by senior colleagues? No leadership? 

We simply don’t know is the honest answer.

If perchance you a former staff member who wishes to let us know, please do contact us at shepwayvox[at]riseup[dot]net.  And rest assured, we never ever reveal our sources.

FHDC have created a new record, a £1,664,693 record. Temporary staff costs need to be reduced and we wonder if the new incumbents can affect this change.

On that note we’ll leave you with Roy Castle (for those of you of a certain vintage) to sum it all up.

The Shepway Vox Team

Dissent is Not a Crime