Exclusive
Only third of civil servants can fit in government offices amid ballooning Whitehall staff and 'work from home culture'
1 April 2025, 09:48
LBC Exclusive: Not enough office space for civil servants
Just one in three civil servants can fit in some government departments thanks to ballooning Whitehall staff and a work from home culture, LBC has found.
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Despite successive governments pushing civil servants to be in their headquarters at least 60% of the time, there is not enough space for them to be there in numerous departments, Freedom of Information requests have revealed.
The civil service has ballooned in size over recent years - increasing from 384,230 people in 2016 to 514,395 in 2024. But many departments have barely changed size.
The Department for Business and Trade has 1422 available desks, but 4735 civil servants attached to the building, meaning there is only space for 30% of them to work in the office at once.
Watch Again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds | 01/04/25
When quizzed by LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on the findings, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, insisted that he was only interested in whether they were doing their jobs well.
But he admitted that he would be cutting the size of his department as part of wider Whitehall cuts.
Mr Reynolds said he had "inherited a situation where there are more civil servants than desks".
"I judge people by the output they put in, not their presenteeism," he continued.
"If they're doing the job for me, I know that because I can see that through the work that they do.”
"We have to work within the envelope that we've got. I think we can deliver more for business whilst doing that. But look, I've not had a chance yet to shape the department to deliver that."
Mr Reynolds claimed he had "no complaints" about the work of his civil service.
He said: "Some of my more senior staff are not London based. I think it's important to stress that that's how government departments should be operating.
"We want that to be a department where perhaps people, there's fewer people but they're more senior.
"The fact the Conservative Party is often attacking the principle of working from home.. was a situation where they didn't have enough desks in my department for the staff."
But LBC can reveal this is a widespread Whitehall issue.
In the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs there is only space for 39% of civil servants to be in the office at once.
The Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government both stand at 43%.
The Department for Transport has desks for 47% of all of their civil servants.
Rachel Reeves’ Treasury has space for 64% and the Ministry of Defence has space for an impressive 95.6% of staff.
The Chancellor has promised to slash civil service headcount by around 10,000 in the coming years in a bid to cut costs.
A government spokesperson said: “Our entire focus is on delivering the Plan for Change and supporting civil servants with the necessary tools and space to deliver on working people’s priorities.
“Civil servants are expected to spend at least 60% of their time in the office or on official business, which can include conducting site visits or meeting stakeholders.
"Our offices have a range of spaces available to work that aren't included as official desk space, including meeting rooms."
