Ditch the ‘usual suspects’: Gov.uk founder urges Labour to look beyond Big Four consultants
Labour has loudly pledged to slash taxpayer spending on external consultants. However, the founder of a City-based digital consultancy firm told City AM that the government still relies on private firms to plug operational gaps because the civil service previously “got rid of the wrong skills”. Ben Terrett, chief executive and founder of Public Digital, said the [...]
Labour has vowed to reduce taxpayer spending on external consultants, yet its founder in the City of London argues the government still heavily relies on private firms to address operational gaps. Ben Terrett, CEO and founder of Public Digital, a digital consultancy, suggests the government should "diversify the marketplace" by working with smaller consultants across the country, rather than solely relying on established firms like the Big Four.
Despite the government's pledge to cut spending on external advisers by half, total spending on management consultancy contracts grew to £1.44bn in the first year of the government's tenure, up from £1.28bn the previous year, according to data from Tussell. Terrett, a former civil servant, played a role in the creation of Gov.uk, which consolidated numerous government websites into a single platform.
He emphasizes that his firm's success stems from having "lived experience" and hiring people with similar backgrounds. Public Digital primarily serves the public sector, but has expanded to the private sector, which now accounts for 25 to 30 percent of its business. The company is particularly focusing on the water sector, a politically exposed, highly regulated industry.
Terrett believes that improving efficiency in this sector could be achieved by better utilizing existing funds, without requiring additional investment.
Written by urgent.news from City AM's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
