SPENDING on agency staff and consultants at Dorset County Council is falling – but is still costing more than £8million a year.

HR adviser Carl Wilcox has told county councillors he would expect the trend to be in the opposite direction as the authority prepares to disappear in April next year.

He describes a six per cent fall in the cost of agency staff year on year as “a magnificent feat.”

A report to Monday’s staffing committee explained the use of agency staff and consultants at the county council – with some being used for their specific expertise or to meet short-term shortages of staff, or short-term ‘spikes’ in workloads.

However, the biggest agency spend has been in children’s services where long-term recruiting difficulties has led to vacancies being plugged by agency workers.

The committee heard that work was under way to re-train some existing staff as social workers, and an apprenticeship scheme might be available from next year for social care staff.

The council has also just increased the expenses allowance for staff moving into Dorset.

Cllr Ray Bryan said he welcomed the scheme to train new social workers locally but said potential recruits should be told of the stresses of the job before they started out.

“We should highlight the pressure they will be under. I could not do that job for all the money in the world,” he said.

“We have got to look after the staff. There are more ways than money where we should be seen to be looking after our teams…we should make sure we improve everything we are doing.

“We have got some big challenges ahead and we need to make sure we are up to them.”