Budget: Cut consultants and diversity schemes to save cash, Hunt to tell councils

He's half right. Consultants are bleeding councils up and down the country dry for top dollar and adding little to no value. Bristol Council (Labour run) is spending £15m on consultations for an underground that the West of England Combined Authority Mayor (also Labour) says can fuck right off and will never get green lit.

https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/bristol-underground-15m-study-to-go-ahead-despite-authority-boss-saying-project-is-unlikely-07-06-2023/

So he's half right on that point. Councils, in a cost of living crisis can't be spaffing away money like it isn't there. But he's wrong on the diversity part.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Councils in England will be told to cut spending on consultants and diversity schemes when Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivers his Budget on Wednesday.

The Budget - taking place in the House of Commons on Wednesday - will see Mr Hunt set out his tax and spending plans.

Chair of the Local Government Association, and Labour councillor, Shaun Davies told the BBC's Today programme councils' money troubles were the result of a "simple equation".

Its difficulties are partly a result of a £1bn payout it had to make to settle equal pay claims brought by underpaid workers.

At the same time Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said councils would have to draw up productivity plans by the summer explaining how they would "improve service performance and reduce wasteful expenditure".

Its website argues that "employing and engaging with people who have a range of different backgrounds, experiences and ideas increases creativity and leads to better problems solving and decision-making".

The original article contains 708 words, the summary contains 157 words. Saved 78%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!