travel bargains: Michael Gove spent ?21m on consultants, claims teaching union (Guardian)

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Michael Gove spent ?21m on consultants, claims teaching union (Guardian)

NUT says analysis of Department for Education figures shows ?21m was paid to
five firms between last April and February

The head of one of the country's biggest teaching unions has accused the
education secretary of spending ?21m on consultants while he cuts school
budgets.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said
her union had analysed the Department for Education's spending based on
figures published on its website.

Blower told her union's annual conference that the analysis showed Michael
Gove had paid ?21m to five private firms between last April and February. The
union claims a further almost ?5m was awarded to three other private
companies.

Blower said she feared much of the ?21m had been taken from state schools and
used for free schools. Free schools are one of the coalition's flagship
education reforms and are founded by parents, teachers, charities and
companies. They operate out of local authority control.

A Department for Education spokesman said spending on consultants had been
"slashed" under the coalition government. In 2009-10, more than ?74m had been
spent on consultants, he said. But, when figures are published for the last
financial year, they will show spending on consultancy ...

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