Consultancy and advisory services spends

Request

Could you please provide the total gross external spend for each of the following categories, over the last 5 years:
1) Consultancy and advisory services

2) Recruitment, agency and interim services

3) Could I also get a separate figure for these same categories during the current financial year (25/26) up to the present date? You can either provide a figure for the incomplete year, or a forecast for the expected expenditure of these categories to the end of the financial year.

Decision

1) The On contract agency spend for the last few years was:

2020/21 £3.9m

2021/22 £5m

2022/23 £5.9m

2023/24 £6.3m

2024/25 £7.8m

2025/26 £5.6m (April to Feb)

2-3) Off-contract, this could be a mix of agency, consultancy and advisory

2020/21 figure not available.

2021/22 £0.9m

2022/23 £0.8m

2023/24 £1.7m

2024/25 £2.2m

2025/26 £2m (April to Feb)

Reference number
FOI 15615213
Date request received
25/02/26
Date of decision
24/03/26