Consultancy expenditure at WNDC revealed

A detailed breakdown of the millions of pounds spent on consultants by a development corporation in Northamptonshire has been released.

West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC) has released the information in a bid to be more open.

The spending includes £530,000 paid to Network Rail for the design of the new Castle Station in Northampton.

It spent about £900,000 on technical advice on other key building projects in Northamptonshire.

'New jobs'

The figures also show the WNDC, set up to manage new developments in Northampton and the west of the county, spent £200,000 on the corporation's suite of offices at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton.

The figures cover payments to suppliers in the 12 months to April this year.

A WNDC spokesman said: "WNDC is committed to being as transparent as possible and published details of our expenditure in July - well before we were required to by government.

"Rather than just publish spend for costs of £500 or above, we have published details of all of our expenditure, however small.

"All of our expenditure has supported our ability to deliver and attract investment to the area.

"Over the past five years we have invested over £70m in the area, supporting the delivery of new jobs, homes and facilities for local people."

He said the hiring of Network Rail provided "long term investment in a key regeneration project for the town".