CHESHIRE West and Chester Council spent £3.7m on consultants last year but this represents a massive reduction of almost 60%.

A Freedom of Information response shows a spend reduction in this area of more than £5m on the previous year’s £8.7m total.

However, more than a quarter of last year’s figure was a charge by Pricewaterhouse Coopers (£2,406,722) to upgrade the computerised finance system. PWC continued the upgrade in 2011/12 but the cost had reduced to £467,435.

Controls are in place to monitor and restrict spending on consultants including a requirement to produce a business case.

The authority says there is continual monitoring of consultancy expenditure and monthly reporting to senior management.

A large element, totalling £1.4m and representing 40% of spending on consultancy, was around construction issues relating to regeneration projects.

For example, DTZ, which earned £133,148, has been working on the proposed Northgate Development retail scheme, produced a report on Chester Market and a property valuation for the former Odeon cinema.

Mott Macdonald earned £94,508 as technical advisers on projects including the Ellesmere Port University Church of England Academy.

The Environment Partnership earned £39,300 for various ecological surveys including bats surveys.