Labour spends 'more on consultants than trains'

Your train has been cancelled because the money has gone to pay a consultant his huge fee....Don't worry when your stood on a freezing station, dripping wet and the train has been delayed yet again by the wrong type of leaves on the track or that old old classic "maintenance work"; at least you know that there will be a consultant to give you the latest spin on why your service is brilliant.

Outside advisers on the new intercity train earned £6.7 million from the Department for Transport between late 2005 and December 2007, the Government said in a parliamentary written reply.

This figure soared to £14.94 million in the period between December 2007 and January this year.

More than £2 million was spent on financial advice alone as the Government decided on which consortium was to provide a replacement to the ageing intercity fleet.

The final decision was delayed and then the Government ran into criticism over handing the £7.5 billion contract to a Japanese-led consortium at a time when unemployment in Britain was rising.
Theresa Villiers, the Tories' transport spokesman, condemned the Government for spending millions of pounds on outside advice during the current economic climate.

"I was staggered to learn that Labour has chosen to double the money spent on consultants for the IEP during such a serious economic recession," she said.

Those who can do, those who can not hire a consultant.

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