THE letter from Mr Eddie Holden (Ely Standard, December 22) re: Cambridgeshire County Council s use of consultants sadly shows that he clearly has no understanding of best business practice in this area of work. Consultants are only used on highly complex

THE letter from Mr Eddie Holden (Ely Standard, December 22) re: Cambridgeshire County Council's use of consultants sadly shows that he clearly has no understanding of best business practice in this area of work.

Consultants are only used on highly complex projects where very specialist knowledge or experience is needed to ensure fast, efficient and cost effective systems are used.

Is he seriously suggesting that the county council takes on such staff on a permanent basis just in case we need them, with all the incumbent employment costs this would entail, including pension rights, employment benefits like maternity leave and sickness absence, more office accommodation, holiday entitlement and any redundancy costs at the end of the project - and what a waste of their highly honed talents to then expect them to carry out the many more mundane tasks which are also the responsibility of the county council if we then continued to employ them on a full-time basis.

The county council is responsible for many highly complex projects and making use of the best talent available during the life of that project, and then dispensing with that staff expense at the end, makes far more business sense than having the people waiting in the county council wings as it were, just in case we need them in the future.

JOHN POWLEY, Cabinet member for corporate services, Cambridgeshire County Council