Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group

management, etc. Use of professional consultants is also a very significant
feature of most local authority capital expenditure.
11.4.2 The Group considers consultancy expenditure to be excessive, particularly
when local authorities employ a large number of highly skilled and
appropriately qualified personnel. While there will understandably be
occasions when specialised skills can be more economically externally
purchased as opposed to investing in in-house training, the Group
recommends that wherever possible local authorities should make use of
expertise that is available in-house, or from other local authorities on a
shared service basis, or from regional / national sources such as the RDOs
and the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency (see sections 8.6
and 10.1)
11.4.3 The Group is therefore recommending that the amounts spent on
professional consultancy be reduced by 50% compared to 2008,
representing savings of up to €8 million in the short to medium term.
Further reductions should then be sought in the light of the outturn for 2010.
Consultants should only be used where there is a clear value-added, and
there is a duty on local authorities to make use of consultants efficiently and
only where justified.
11.5 Local Authority Facilities and Logistics
11.5.1 Local authorities maintain a number of depots and facilities within their
functional area that are used for the purposes of different service areas. In
the main these include depots for roads services, but this can also extend to
water, housing, and parks.
11.5.2 The Group recommends that all local authorities carry out a review of the
number of depots used across different locations and across different local
authority service areas, with a view to examining the possibilities for
rationalisation and consolidation of facilities.
11.5.3 A number of local authorities have successfully installed GPS systems in
local authority vehicles, which allows for better information with which to
plan site inspections, street cleaning schedules, waste collection routes, etc.
The Group recommends that GPS systems be installed in all vehicles in
local authority fleets. This would allow local authorities to identify the most
time-efficient distribution of vehicles across their functional areas, and
provide excellent information for reviews and rescheduling of activities.
11.6 Innovation Fund
11.6.1 Local authorities should carry out their functions in the most cost effective
manner having regard to value for money principles and the need to provide
citizen-centred services to the public. Local government has achieved
significant efficiencies in a number of areas. Many initiatives are in place to
149