Council Dilemma of Staffing vs Consultants
From what I've observed, the issue of council staffing versus consultant use works a bit like this... Imagine you have a home that needs regular maintenance. You hire one handyman for your main house and another for your garage. Then someone comes along and points out that it’s wasteful since one handyman could easily manage both.
So, to 'fix' the problem, you fire both handymen and decide to use specialist contractors as and when needed. That way, you tell yourself, you’ll only pay for what you need. But before long, the same amount of work starts costing even more than what you paid for having two handymen (even though they were surplus to needs to begin with).
And now, someone else points out that you're paying too much for consultants, and in response, you hire three handymen - because it’s still cheaper than the contractors. And so, the cycle continues.
The real issue therefore, isn’t how much we spend on staff or consultants - it’s how wisely we use them.
Poll: How are fuel prices affecting you?
We’re taking the bus or the train and trucking companies are getting slammed with price rises to simply stay on the road.
Welcome to the world of $3 a litre plus for fuel.
As the average price of 91 octane petrol across the country rose to $3.32/L at the start of the working week and politicians nervously eyed storage figures, Waikato households feeling the strain were offered little but hope.
How are fuel prices affecting you? Tell us more in the comments (adding NFP if you don't want your words used in print).
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0% A lot
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0% A bit
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0% I don't drive much
‘Simply irresponsible’: Wallaby likely kept as pet in Hamilton, regional council says
A wallaby spotted in Hamilton was probably kept as a pet, the regional council says - and that’s “simply irresponsible”.
The dama wallaby, which had an immature joey in its pouch, was spotted in Frankton on March 3, reported and killed, Waikato Regional Council says.
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