Recent figures have revealed that at least 3,800 civil servants have permanent work-from-home contracts, with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) alone accounting for about 2,400 of these staff members. Research indicates that civil servants typically attend the office fewer than two days per week. Notably, only the now-disbanded Department for Science met the government’s 60% in-office attendance target.
The Conservative government introduced an expectation for civil servants to spend at least 60% of their working time at a government office or conducting official business. This policy has been retained by the Labour government, citing the clear benefits of face-to-face collaboration. However, some civil servants have expressed concerns regarding this mandate. For instance, staff at HM Land Registry have recently voted in favour of strike action in response to the office attendance requirements.
Freedom of Information (FOI) data obtained by The Telegraph reveals that, over the past two years, an average of only 6% of Office for National Statistics (ONS) staff have worked from the agency’s Darlington office. A report by Sir Robert Devereux, a former senior civil servant, criticised the post-pandemic return to office work, stating, “The return to working in the office, post-pandemic, was not handled well. This needs to be resolved quickly: some recognition of the past poor handling is necessary; but so too is a wider recognition of the benefits of teams spending time together in one place.”
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In April, Labour minister Anna Turley highlighted that the new Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) would offer “a new and modern home for civil servants in Darlington” and support economic growth outside London. However, senior Conservative MP Mike Wood expressed scepticism about the facility’s effectiveness, suggesting it could undermine regional devolution efforts. He commented, “Andy Burnham clearly thinks it’s just a matter of ‘build it and they will come’. But judging by the attendance record at the ONS, doubling office space will just mean double the amount of wasted taxpayers’ money. For all Labour’s spin, their regional offices are already falling apart. ONS should focus on getting its existing staff to work – wherever their offices are – and improving the worrying quality of its statistics.”
An ONS spokesperson responded by stating, “The new Darlington Economic Campus will host a whole range of departments. In fact, only a small percentage of staff set to be based there will be from ONS. The improved facilities the new site offers will allow us to boost office attendance for ONS staff.”