States spent £63m in five years on consultants

Consultants were used across many areas of the States between 2020 and 2024

The States of Guernsey has spent more than £63m on consultant fees between 2020 and 2024, new figures show.

In the response to questions submitted by deputy David Goy, the Policy and Resources Committee said consultants were used when the States did not have the required skill, experience or capacity to perform a necessary task.

Consultants were used in the areas of business, finance, human resources, information and computer technology, legal and research, the committee said.

The figures showed £8m was spent in 2020, £11.5m in 2021, £12.2m in 2022, £13.3m in 2023 and £18.3m in 2024.

In the annual budget for 2026, the chief executive Boley Smillie said he was "confident" the committee could deliver "meaningful savings over the coming years", including on consultant fees.

"For 2026, a savings target of £4m has been agreed across all project and revenue expenditure of which £2.5m has been incorporated into this budget associated with revenue spend," he said.

"In terms of delivering savings, the first phase of work will focus on reducing expenditure on consultants, with a renewed emphasis on internal problem-solving rather than relying on external consultants to validate known issues."