TOWN Hall chiefs have sanctioned the spending of £200,000 on consultants during the current financial year.

Bolton Council leader Cllr Cliff Morris was asked for the figure at a full council meeting by Labour colleague Cllr Sean Hornby following revelations that £7 million was spent on consultants from April, 2003, to October, 2006.

Cllr Hornby claimed that £7 million equated to £59.39 per household in Bolton and blamed the Liberal Democrat administration which ran the council from 2004 and 2006.

"Even Elton John would find it difficult to spend that kind of money," he said.

Under the last Labour administration in 2003/04, the council spent £1.2 million on consultants.

The Lib Dem administration spent £1.9 million in 2004/05 and £3.1 million in 2005/06.

So far, £750,000 has been spent during the current financial year, much of which was approved by the Lib-Dem administration, Cllr Morris said.

A chunk of the £200,000 approved by Cllr Morris during this financial year will not be spent until 2007/08.

Since Labour took power last May, Cllr Morris has had the final say on whether officers can use consultants.

Lib-Dem group leader Cllr Barbara Ronson, who led the council from 2004-06, said: "Some of the money we spent was to get work done to help attract businesses and jobs to Bolton.

"Labour is now feeling the benefit of some of our spending on consultants, so it does not need to be repeated.

"I welcome the fact spending on consultants is coming down.

"But we need to be sure we're not spending the money in other ways where consultants would have done better."