Westminster Council spent £21m last year on temporary agency staff, according to a report released by the council last week.

The report revealed that the workers are employed in clerical posts as well as more specialist jobs, with almost £6.7m being spent on admin staff.

The figures were revealed in a report this week, which also shows a temporary employee has been working in the transport department for almost eight years. It also has four temporary staff in its planning and city development department who have been there between four and seven years.

Leader of the Labour Group, counsellorr Paul Dimoldenberg, told the Hampstead and Highgate Express: "I thought it must be a printing error, but it is true the Conservatives have been employing someone as a 'temporary'

worker for almost eight years and there are four 'temporary' staff in the planning department who have been employed by the council for more than four years.

"The council spends more than £21m a year on temporary staff and it looks as if there are considerable savings to be made by making more of these temporary staff full- time employees."

The report also admits the council did not have one single contract with the agencies and "the approach to hiring meant that pay rates and fees were frequently above market rates, because the council was not using its combined purchasing power to secure competitive pricing".

Westminster Council now says it has implemented a number of cost-saving measures for the next financial year. A spokeswoman said: "Initial findings showed that £21.6m was spent by Westminster Council under the agency category. The council proceeded to carry out further work to understand what was within this category and found some of the money was not spent on temporary agency contractors but on other areas."

* Join the web chat on our Recruiter Magazine Facebook Group!