The Department for Education (DfE) will spend £6.5 million refurbishing its office in Sheffield, but insists the work has nothing to do with fears of overcrowding and difficulties during an evacuation last year.
The work on the office in St Paul’s Place will “modernise and refresh the office, increase capacity, and address building condition, including assets approaching the end of their useful life”, it said.
Capacity has become more of an issue at DfE offices across England since an edict last year ordering civil servants to return to the office for at least 80 per cent of their working week.
Schools Week revealed how the DfE overall had twice as many workers as desks, forcing staff to work in corridors and canteens. As of last year, Sheffield had 790 desks for 1,489 staff.
