Department criticised over spending

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DCMS is spending more than £40 million annually to accommodate just 5,000 staff, according to the influential Public Accounts Committee.

A large proportion of the money is going on "upmarket" premises in London - where costs are on average £3,000 higher for each individual - even though many employees' roles do not necessitate them being in the capital.

Committee chairman Edward Leigh insisted Government departments should be looking to get better value for the taxpayer by managing space more effectively.

"This message should be displayed in bright lights in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, a department which is remarkably casual in its approach to the management of office accommodation," the Tory MP for Gainsborough said.

"The annual cost of accommodating each official ranges from £1,000 to £30,000. Too many are housed for no clear reason at upmarket addresses in London - an extreme example being the six members of the Football Licensing Authority ensconced at great expense in Cavendish Square in the West End.

"Nearly half of the offices enjoy remarkably generous amounts of space. And different DCMS organisations around the country are coy about sharing offices and support services," he added.

The MPs examined the office space used by DCMS and 24 of its sponsored bodies in England. Museums and galleries were not included because much of their area is used for storage and display.

They found that some 64% of staff were located in London, and even after a planned migration of 950 jobs to regional offices, more than half the total would still be working in the capital.

One of the most "extraordinary" decisions was paying £180,000 a year for offices in Cavendish Square to house just six members of the Football Licensing Authority.