Being paid for a notice period

[Gonzo]

And are they under obligation to provide work on those 30 days?

WHS, most contracts have a get out clause to cover this, no work to do and no pay even if you are serving your 30 days notice.

I would bet money that there is a clause in the OP's contract with the consultancy that states they are not obliged to offer work and the OP is not obliged to accept any, regardless of the notice period.

Notice periods are for permies. Contractors provide flexibilty, it is one of the reasons they charge more than permies.

[TheVoice]

Depends what it says in the contract - but to be frank, go for them mate. Something is better than sod all.

That said, our standard contract states that any cancellation of the contract incurrs fees.

Where the cancellation occurs before service commences: 50% of the total contract is payable

Where the cancellation occurs during the contract with more than 2 weeks to run: 2 weeks worth of fees payable.

All of which payable whether or not worked...

May be worth adding something like this to your own for future, as clients will try to get all they can for as little as possible.

Be strong!