Agency and temporary staff costs

Request spending on agency workers by department.

When public bodies cannot fill permanent posts, they often use agency staff at a higher cost. Tracking this spending shows where recruitment problems are worst and how much extra the public is paying.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], I am writing to request the following information for [FINANCIAL YEAR]: 1. The total amount spent on agency and temporary staff. 2. A breakdown of this spending by department or directorate. 3. For each department, the number of agency workers engaged as a monthly average. I would prefer to receive this by email. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

Any Scottish public authority. You can find the right authority in the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

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Tips#

  • Agency spending is sometimes recorded separately from normal staffing costs, so the authority may need to check with its finance and HR teams.
  • If the authority says it cannot break the figure down by department, ask for the total and the top five departments by spend.
  • Comparing agency spend alongside vacancy data from the same period gives a fuller picture of staffing pressures.