Outrageous! Home Office Workers Wasted £756 Taxpayer Money on Board Games
The Home Office has come under fire after it was revealed that a group of its Digital Data and Technology workers spent a whopping £756 of taxpayers’ money on playing board games at Goodtime Games in Manchester. The payment, which was logged as “staff costs for team away day,” has sparked outrage among taxpayers who are questioning the department’s priorities.
Home Office Workers Splurge £756 of Taxpayer Money on Board Games
On November 28, employees from the Home Office’s Digital Data and Technology department in Manchester made a payment to Goodtime Games for what was supposed to be a team-building exercise. Goodtime Games is a vegan and vegetarian-only board games café that promises customers a good time while playing their favorite games.
Goodtime Games: A Vegan Board Games Café For Team Building
While the Home Office has clarified that the away day did not actually take place in the café, but rather, Goodtime Games facilitated exercises for the workers. The payment had to be declared as it exceeded £500, raising eyebrows among taxpayers who feel that the department should be focusing on more pressing matters like border control.
Taxpayers Up in Arms Over Home Office’s Extravagant Spending
William Yarwood, a campaigner from The TaxPayers’ Alliance, expressed his dismay at the revelation saying, “As the Home Office lurches from crisis to crisis, bureaucrats are bunking off. Instead of focusing on border control, civil servants took the day off for board games. These pen-pushers should focus on beefing up security without milking taxpayers for a jolly.”
Government Defends the Expenditure
Despite the backlash, a Government spokesperson defended the expenditure, claiming that the payment was made for professional services. However, this explanation has done little to quell the outrage among taxpayers who are demanding more accountability and responsibility from government departments like the Home Office.