Freelance UK: Freelance execs cash in on Olympics

Freelancers who ‘go direct’ typically enjoy higher take-home pay than their counterparts who use recruitment agencies and pay for the privilege.

But temporary consultants who’ve signed up to staffing firms supplying the organisers of the London 2012 Olympic Games have broken this mould.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act reportedly reveal 65 agency workers last year pocketed a whopping £7,707,000 - the equivalent of around £118,500 each.

The single highest amount paid to one unnamed agency worker was £1,200 a day, reviving concerns that the Olympic Delivery Authority is squandering its funds.

Most of the consultants were used during the start-up stage of the Olympic programme, which involved the design, construction and implementation of facilities.

However the biggest beneficiary was not workers in these sectors – but the agencies themselves: London-based executive recruiter Rockpools earned £1,885,898 from its supply.

Not even half as prosperous was Reed Personnel Services, but the Northampton agency still earned £525, 939, beating Hedra Plc, the third highest-paid recruiter, which netted £491,885.

The figures, which emerged yesterday, arrive at a difficult time for Olympic Delivery Authority: last week a poll showed six out of ten Brits feel the Games is not a worthwhile investment.

Moreover, questions have been raised about the large sums paid to high-profile personnel tasked with promoting the event or ensuring its administration in time for 2012.

In particular, Princess Anne, a non-executive director and head of the British Olympic Association, received £4,000 in fees for attending four board meetings lasting a total of ten hours.

Similarly, Jonathan Edwards, the former Olympic triple jump champion, earned £14,500 to represent athletes, further to an extra £87,000 for ‘consultancy services’, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Disclosures of the exorbitant fees came after organisers admitted the budget for London 2012 has leapt from £2.4bn to a projected £9.3bn – four times the original estimate.

Little wonder then that about nine in ten Brits think the games will go over-budget, while two-thirds think the event is an unnecessary risk – in contrast to the widespread support initially.

Matthew Eliot, chief executive of the Taxpayers Alliance, which commissioned the poll, yesterday summed up the feeling among taxpayers, who are partly funding the over-spend.

He told the Daily Mail: “When London bid for the 2012 Olympics, we were told it was a golden opportunity to showcase the capital and encourage sport.

“Now we’ve got the Games, it seems to be a tawdry money-making opportunity for a few fat cats at taxpayers’ expense. No wonder people are disillusioned.”

But a spokesman for the authority defended the lavish spend on temporary workers.

He told the paper: “This project has a massively challenging timetable. It was essential we hit the ground running during the start-up phase by quickly recruiting agency personnel with extensive industry experience.”

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£1,200 a day! Gotta get me that job!