THE small band of Labour county councillors faces a tough task in defeating any of the Conservative-dominated authority’s policies following its dismal showing at this year’s local elections.

Cabinet members will quite rightly say it is easy to shout from the sidelines when you do not have the responsibility for the tough decisions.

But we think Labour councillor Peter McDonald has a point when he criticises County Hall plans to spend £1.7 million on consultants and temporary staff to advise it how to save £45 million from its budget. The use of consultants by local councils is a major bugbear for our readers. We receive many letters and online comments criticising councils for not using in-house expertise on major projects.

The savings being made by the county council over the next few years will undoubtedly have an impact on services and jobs.

We wonder what those who may lose their jobs make of money being spent bringing in people who will effectively recommend who stays and who goes.

We accept that £1.7 million over three years is a tiny fraction of the council’s £300 million annual budget. But we think the use of outside consultants sends the wrong message to council tax payers and staff alike.

Where we disagree with Labour councillors, however, is their suggestion that the council does not need to make any cuts. That is just unrealistic.

The public sector is in for a tough time over the next few years and there will be cuts across the board, irrespective of who wins thegeneral election. To suggest otherwise is to bury one’s head in the sand.