The cost of temporary staff at Avon and Somerset police has nearly doubled in the past year as permanent workers have lost their jobs. Staff numbers have fallen by 131 people in the past five years, but the constabulary has dramatically increased its agency bill during the past two years.

A Freedom of Information Act request revealed that in 2013/2014 the force spent £570,885.11 on temping staff. But that rose by more than 70 per cent to £974,300.47 between April 2014 and the end of February this year.

Reported by the Western Daily Press. You can read the full story here. 

Matthew Burgess
http://www.mattburgess.co
I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.