UK public bodies spent ‘scandalous’ £3.4bn on private consultants last year

New figures reveal the public sector paid out at least 60% more to consultancies than it did before the pandemicPrivate consultants were paid a “scandalous” £3.4bn by public bodies last year, new figures reveal.The statistics, from outsourcing data company Tussell, show that government spending on private consultants was £1.3bn (62%) higher in 2023-24 than 2019-20. They also reveal that the surge in consultant spending seen during Covid has failed to come back down to pre