New national guidance on procuring temporary staff could save councils up to £100m a year.

The guidance has been drawn up by Havering LBC, with funding from the London Centre of Excellence, and it is now being adopted by the Office of Government Commerce. ‘We recognised the need to address this area of substantial spend and believe the guide will help all organisations to decide the best way to procure and manage their temporary staff,' said Havering's group director of finance, Rita Greenwood.