Harrow Council has been criticised for spending over £6.4 million on consultants and interim staff last year.

According to data obtained by the opposition Conservative Group, the data for financial year 2015-16 shows that the Labour-run authority spent the large amount of money on consultants despite making severe cuts.

Last year, the council closed four libraries and cut voluntary sector funding by a third.

The figures released show that the £6.4 million spent on consultants and interim staff last year was more than three times the annual budget for the whole library service.

Deputy Conservative Group Leader and finance spokesman Councillor Barry Macleod-Cullinane said: “What this information shows is Labour’s bizarre spending choices.

“On one hand you've got libraries closing, cash stripped away from the voluntary sector and the Arts Centre put on life support, and on the other there’s a fortune spent on consultants and external specialists.

“Just as Labour didn't tell residents about the £31 million pressure on the budget from their expensive building projects, this massive £6 million consultancy expenditure is buried so deeply in departments that it’s nearly impossible to find.”

“For all Labour’s bleating about not getting enough money from government, it is increasingly clear the real issue for Harrow is how the administration spends (and often wastes) the money it actually has.”

'This is how businesses operate'

In response to the figures, Michael Lockwood, chief executive at Harrow Council told getwestlondon : Hiring temporary staff means that we can deliver important services for residents and bring in specialist skills as and when required to deliver value for money.

“This is because we don’t have the additional employment costs that come with hiring a permanent member of staff.

“This is how businesses operate and shows the council is being more business-like and responsible with taxpayers money.

“Like all councils and businesses we have to bring in professional auditors, surveyors and engineers on our major building sites and independent chairs for our safeguarding services.”