Taxpayers have been handed a multi-million pound bill for new government offices despite large numbers of civil servants continuing to work from home. Public-sector workers will only be required to go into the office three days a week at dozens of new, state-of-the-art sites across the country. It comes after the Government’s plans to move thousands of civil service jobs out of London were partially shelved amid concerns staff would refuse to stop working from home. Developments in Blackpool alone, which will be used to house Department for Work and Pensions staff, are forecast to cost £100m, while new offices in Manchester for civil servants from a mix of departments are expected to cost £40m. Blackpool’s new offices are said to include “a large reception lobby and high quality furbishing including open-plan working areas, meeting rooms, quiet zones and other flexible workplace areas, with high levels of natural daylight and generous, airy ceiling heights throughout,” according to a local authority announcement. But current guidelines for civil servants, which require staff to meet a minimum of 60pc in-person attendance, could mean the offices not being used to their full capacity. In-office figures for staff across the civil service have never returned...