A Poole Council decision to spend £900 a day on a consultant to manage its own property has been slammed.

"I am beyond catatonic with rage," was the reaction of Cllr Phil Eades, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats to the appointment of a consultant for an initial six months.

Management of the council's 5,500 land and building assets with an estimated value of over £549 million received a low rating in the audit report and the council has been without a head of the service unit for some time.

"It defies belief that the council has this much cash swilling around to spend on consultants but at the same time Poole Sports Centre is left to rot and the libraries are having their opening hours cut," said Cllr Eades.

The decision to appoint ex-local authority consultant Seisin, at a director rate of £900 for up to a 10-hour day for one or two days a week, at an estimated cost of £45,000 in total, was approved by cabinet as an urgency item and as such cannot be called in by the Lib Dems.

An angry Cllr Eades said: "It utterly defies belief that we can't find a local property professional at a rate of less than £900 per day."

Residents facing a 4.9 per cent council tax rise in April have added their voices to the disquiet.

"We deplore the growing custom for councils and government using outside agencies to do their routine business," said Douglas Cook of the Society of Poole Men.

Peter Pawlowski, strategic director, said the council's attempt to recruit a new head of asset management and property services had been unsuccessful despite offering improved and competitive terms.

"As a result, the council is proposing to contract a consultant on a short-term basis to offer professional advice in order to deliver significant improvements envisaged in a new manner of working which has the potential to provide quality improvements and efficiencies to the council."