A VALLEYS council’s bill for temporary agency workers shot up by almost half a million pounds in just one year.

Figures obtained from Gwent councils show they spent £12.2 million on agency staff in 2010/11, slightly down on £13.5 million in 2009/10.

But Blaenau Gwent’s bill leaped from £1.17 million to £1.62 million as the authority holds back from taking on staff permanently because of the economic crisis.

The much larger Caerphilly council however saw its agency costs drop dramatically over the same period – from £4.8 million to £2.9.

Blaenau Gwent said it is using agency workers across the council, and where the authority has vacancies it is covering some permanent jobs with temporary agency staff.

The policy resulted in an increase in temporary placements but “gives us greater flexibility to respond to future budget allocations,” she added.

The Welsh Local Government Association said that the flexibility in the workforce provided by agency workers was important in the current financial climate as councils reduce their workforce.

“The use of agency workers is sometimes the only way that essential public services can be delivered,” a spokeswoman said.

Caerphilly council said its reduced its bill after changes to the way it sources agency staff, allowing it to reduce the fees charged by suppliers.

Monmouthshire council said the majority of its agency cash goes on staff schools, social care, property services, admin and finance departments.

Newport council, which counted spending on supply staff in the figures, said it expects the total for 2011/12 to be much lower than the two years before.

A spokeswoman added the authority has been carrying out reviews of staffing across its departments and it would not have been appropriate to fill permanent posts until those were completed.