ONMOUTHSHIRE council has been accused of “poor money management,” splashing out £161,000 on three consultants but not having nearly the same amount to pay teachers.

Schools have been sent an email saying they will have to find thousands out of their budgets to meet the 1% pay award this autumn.

That is because the council cannot find the money, £160,000, because its children and young people directorate is due to overspend for the current financial year.

But as reported last week, Monmouthshire council paid off its former corporate director of lifelong learning and education Andrew Keep to the tune of £75,000.

He was offered a new job there after his post was made redundant but still collected a five-figure redundancy pay-off two years later.

Cllr Debby Blakebrough said she has found out following the damning Estyn report, the council also spent £161,000 on its interim management team.

Three consultants were paid just over £10,000 per month per post.

And now there is no money to pay teachers the extra.

Cllr Blakebrough said: “This is poor money management. I find it very disappointing that Monmouthshire council are saddling schools with a hefty bill, ramming their own financial pressures onto the already tight school budgets.”

A Monmouthshire council spokesman hit back at the criticism: “Any suggestion the council should have foregone a leadership team for its education service is ludicrous.”