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BoE spends over £8m on remote working kit
Bank of England Building (image credit: George Iordanov-Nalbantov)
The Bank of England (BoE) is under scrutiny for spending £8.5 million on remote working kits for staff, according to official figures.
The data, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) by think tank Thank Parliament Street, revealed that Threadneedle Street splurged on a fleet of laptops, mobile phones and tablets for staff.
The findings show the BoE spent £6,757,460.56 on 6,728 laptops and £1,629,678.06 on 2,831 mobile phones, as well as £167,392.81 on 237 tablets.
The bank’s governor, Andrew Bailey, has previously been accused of falling asleep during critical board meetings.
Patrick Sullivan, the Parliament Street chairman criticized the spending, saying: “It is no surprise that inflation has risen out of control when senior officials are spending millions on remote working during a cost of living crisis. Instead of embarking on this rampant spending spree, the BoE should order lazy staff back to the office.”
But technology leaders defended the investment, with Dr. Adeshola ColeCEO of Tritek Consulting, stating: “Flexibility is an important factor for staff and investing in devices is a good way for organizations like the Bank of England to stay productive, but improving digital skills is also key.”