Millions wasted on 'pointless' council jobs

Councils across the West Midlands are wasting millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on pointless jobs, new research suggests today.

The posts include climate change officers, European and diversity officers and paid political advisors.

The Taxpayers' Alliance, who uncovered the figures, say that the jobs are "unnecessary" and called for funds to be transferred to frontline services which are already under imminent threat from the Government's planned spending cuts.

The survey reveals UK councils spent more than £41 million on filling the jobs in 2009/10.

A total of 543 full time equivalent council employees worked as diversity officers at a cost of nearly £20m.

In addition, councils spent £10 million on 350 climate change officers, £6m on 183 European officers and some 141 full time equivalent council employees worked as political advisors at a cost of nearly £5 million.

In the Black Country, Wolverhampton employed four political advisors and three diversity officers at a cost of £230,642; Walsall shelled-out £202,979, on four diversity officers and a climate change officer; and Sandwell £172,555 on five diversity officers.

Elsewhere, Staffordshire Council spent £247,324 on the so-called "non-jobs" including four diversity officers and three full-time and one part-time climate change officers; Stafford, £59,243 on three climate change officers and a part-time diversity officer; South Staffordshire, £46,436 on a climate change officer and a part-time diversity officer; Shropshire, £31,406 on a diversity officer; Cannock Chase, £24,143 on a climate change officer; and Wyre Forest, £22,873 on a diversity officer.

Birmingham City Council accounted for just under £2m of the UK total on 28 members of staff. It also spent £246,523 on nine European officers.

The overall figure could be even higher because the data, based on responses to freedom of information requests, does not include staff on local police forces or health trusts.