Mandarins keep a lid on festive spending

Civil servants have not exactly been decking Whitehall with boughs of holly, according to details released of spending on Christmas decorations.

While vast sums have been spent on bringing festive cheer to shopping streets, offices and homes all around the country, with displays of lights and trees festooned with baubles and tinsel, it appears that the heart of government has remained unadorned.

Government depart- ments which responded to Freedom of Information requests reported a total of less than £1,000 in spending on Christmas decorations.

More than half of the total was taken up by Whitehall’s smallest department, the Wales Office, which confirmed it spent £572.74 on sprucing itself up for the festivities in 2017.

The Northern Ireland Office spent £108, but avoided any cost to taxpayers by funding the decorations through contributions from staff.

The Treasury and Cabinet Office split equally the cost of a Christmas tree in their offices at Horse Guards Road.