Libraries book in for coffee training

A LOCAL authority has been attacked for wasting taxpayers' money by sending staff on a training course on how to make the perfect cup of cappuccino.

Library staff at Perth and Kinross Council will also be instructed on "lifestyle balance" and how to "relax" during the conference being held tomorrow.

Numerous libraries across the region will be closed for the day while staff undergo the training day at the AK Bell Library in Perth.

Last night, Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers' Alliance, branded the scheme a waste of public money.

"There is a real need in any organisation to do staff training but how to make a cappuccino is hardly an essential work skill.

One library worker, who asked not to be named, said:

"I'm looking forward to learning how to make the perfect cappuccino. I love my coffee, but clearly I'm going to find out I've been making it all wrong for the last 20 years."

The course, which will be attended by dozens of library staff, will also feature a "lifestyle balance" workshop which will teach staff how to be "relaxed and revitalised" at their desks on a Monday.

A Perth and Kinross Council spokeswoman defended the course and said the coffee-making lessons were only part of the day-long staff training conference.

"The conference will be covering important issues including policy, strategy, budgets, operational matters and news of new initiatives, all designed to enhance how the service is managed."

She added: "Other sessions will include a focus on health and safety, for example, recognising the long periods staff often spend in front of computer screens."