Today’s Western Mail reports that the Assembly Government spent more than £300,000 on staff “away-days” last year despite the economic downturn.
Some of Wales’ finest hotels were used as venues for gatherings of civil servants, while others went on trips to museums and islands for “team-building” exercises.
Among the most expensive individual events were:
-an away-day for human resources staff at the Miskin Manor – a luxury hotel on the outskirts of Cardiff – costing £16,177.11;
-a health department meeting to “improve effectiveness”, which cost the taxpayer £11,024.57;
-visits by members of the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service to the Falcondale Mansion Hotel, Lampeter, at a cost of £6,124.45.
Among the more adventurous activities was a day featuring footpath clearing in the Brecon Beacons by members of the Department for Environment, Sustainability and Housing at a cost of £292.45.
Other acts of volunteering included a morning’s beach cleaning.
Newly-formed teams from the Department for Rural Affairs and Agriculture were brought together to help out at the RSPB nature reserve in Machynlleth.
The education department’s curriculum assessment division spent a day at the Cardiff Bay science attraction Techniquest, costing £2,340.
A visit to Flat Holm island by members of the Department for Social Justice and Local Government came at a price of £442.50.
The first gathering of the Skills, Higher Education & Lifelong Learning Group took place at the Metropole Hotel in Llandrindod Wells and cost £6,364.75.
Staff responsible for the Knowledge Bank for Business scheme met at the famed Bear Hotel in Crickhowell at a cost of £1,700.
The highest single expenditure was a two-day Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales conference at Llandrindod’s Metropole Hotel, costing £30,000.
Among the cheapest were those held for staff taking away-days at WAG offices. A team-building exercise for the State Aid Unit Team at the in-house Innospace in Cardiff cost just £13, while an NCB (Nature, Conservation & Biodiversity) team away-day at Aberystwyth WAG offices cost nothing.
A spokesman for the Welsh Liberal Democrats called for the Assembly Government to be more creative in its approach.
He said: “This expenditure only covers events described as ‘away-days’ and does not cover wider organisational development training; £300,000 is a large sum of money so taxpayers should expect that as public budgets tighten, the Assembly Government tightens its purse strings too. Away-days can be productive and morale-boosting but they don’t need to take place at huge expense.
“These figures suggest an open-wallet but not open-minded approach to civil service organisational development.”
Related posts:
Being a worker in the public sector over the last few years, I have been on these a few times. They are a mixed bag while many staff approach them with some cynicism. Unfortunately some use them not discuss new ideas or team building but to have a good old moan.