Comment by DrBazza

Although the Government (and local Government) can employ 'heads' at market rate. It's just the rank-and-file that have banded salaries.

When you realise that any Government is ultimately a business, it's revenue is mostly tax, and its costs, are like any other business - salaries, then crappy salaries for Government employees makes more sense.

> So, £100k/year = bad, £120k/year via an external consultancy = good.

There's also the (implicit) argument that the (UK) Government is also not having to pay up a (Civil Service) pension scheme, private health (!!), and the consultancy is picking that up, so that's also 'good'.