Ofgem has spent nearly £4 million on its London headquarters despite most of its staff working from home, according to The Telegraph.
The energy regulator pays £1.9 million in annual rent for its Canary Wharf office, with a further £1.8 million spent on heating, lighting and security.
Yet figures show that on an average day last year, just 204 of Ofgem’s 1,226 full-time employees were in the building.
That works out at more than £10,000 a day to run a largely empty office.
The watchdog introduced a flexible working policy at the start of 2024, allowing staff to come in just once a week.
Managers have been told to monitor compliance, but campaigners say the costs are unacceptable during a cost-of-living crisis.
Taxpayers are sick of working their socks off while quangocrats work from their beds and leave their swanky office space lying fallow. It’s even worse that Ofgem is the latest culprit, given its rank failure to hold down energy bills.”
William Yarwood, TaxPayers’ Alliance
He added: “Ministers should consider axing Ofgem and liberating the energy sector from the shackles of government control and regulation.”
Ofgem responded to the Telegraph by saying its offices across London, Glasgow and Cardiff are limited to 30% of total headcount -and that the 20% attendance requirement ensures there is enough space for all staff without hot desking.
A spokesperson said: “We keep our office space arrangements under review to ensure optimal desk space and good value for money, and we have cut the number of desks available at our London office and made the space available to other civil service departments.”
Is Ofgem’s ’empty’ Canary Wharf office costing taxpayers millions? appeared first on Energy Live News.