Figures show eight per cent of Ofgem staff were in office in crisis

Ofgem staff were ‘at home for crisis’ as figures reveal just eight per cent of staff were in the office at the height of the pricing emergency

  • Just one in 12 Ofgem staff were at their desk during the energy crisis last year
  • Read more: Ofgem forced to pay consultants millions to sort out collapses

Only eight per cent of staff at the UK’s energy watchdog were in the office at the height of the pricing crisis, figures reveal.

A Freedom of Information request has shown that just one in 12 Ofgem employees were at their desks as bills hit record highs last autumn.

In 2021, 30 energy suppliers went bust, and bill-payers have had to shoulder the £3 billion cost. 

Ofgem ‘failed to act against unfit energy suppliers’, Citizens Advice said.

TaxPayers’ Alliance’s Joe Ventre commented: ‘Taxpayers will be shocked by these low occupancy rates.’ 

 A Freedom of Information request has shown that just one in 12 Ofgem employees were at their desks as bills hit record highs last autumn (file image) 

Household customers were left to foot a bill of nearly £3 billion when 31 firms went bust during 2021 and 2022, through a levy added to all bills (file image) 

An Ofgem spokesman said: ‘Whether from home or from one of our three offices, our top priority remains to protect consumers.’

The news comes after Ofgem was forced to hand consultants millions of pounds to help clear up the mess left by the collapse of gas and electricity suppliers.

Household customers were left to foot a bill of nearly £3 billion when 31 firms went bust during 2021 and 2022, through a levy added to all bills.

Since the start of the crisis, Ofgem has spent £32 million on consultants, according to Tussell, a firm which tracks Government contracts.

Baringa recently landed a six-month deal worth £330,000 to help out with Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) payments – costs incurred by suppliers who step in when another firm goes bust.

At least 13 other contracts have been given out by the regulator, including to KPMG, which earned almost £2.5 million for five contracts.

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