Government splashed out £1.8bn on consultancy in 2009

New database to promote transparency reveals Whitehall's expensive consultancy habit

The UK government spent £1.8bn last year on consultancy

The government spent a staggering £1.8bn on consultancy alone in 2009, according to figures published in the new Combined Online Information System (Coins) database, according to The Guardian.

This follows the government saying that it would cut spending on tech consultancy as part of drive to cut 'discretionary spending', the spending targeted also includes travel. The government said in its Programme for Government document that it hoped to save £1bn by cutting back in these areas.

The bill for consultancy rose from £1.5bn the previous year, with Coins showing that the Department of Health spent most (£480m) followed by the Department for International Development (£288m) and the Home Office (£194m).

The Coins database has been released by the Treasury to offer transparency to the public on how the government is spending taxpayers’ money.

Lib Dem’s Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, said that the database lifted a “veil of secrecy” by releasing detailed spending figures dating back to 2008.

The 120GB database is too big for most home computers, and is crammed with accountancy jargon and terminology, meaning most readers would have to enlist the services of a consultant themselves, to make sense of it.

"This data is complex, but this is a major step forward and shows we are delivering on our promise to make this government more open and transparent while ensuring we deliver value for money for the taxpayer," said Alexander.