THE use of outside consultants by councils supposedly led and staffed by large numbers of experts is inevitably controversial. Dorset County Council has spent hundreds of thousands seeking external advice, partly on how to save money. There appears to be quite a sizeable ‘if’ over whether this will be worth the investment. Clearly there no guarantees. And the fact that exceptionally well paid public servants (there are plenty of them) need help deciding what to do, should be setting off the alarm bells.

That is what they are handsomely rewarded for, surely?