Peloton-riding top civil servant lands £20,000 bonus as top mandarins share £400,000 pot on top of their salaries while working from home
- Sarah Healey was among top mandarins who shared out £400,000 in bonuses
- Last year she advocated WFH so she could continue using her Peloton bike
- Tory MP Philip Davies said the payment was ‘completely inappropriate’
A senior civil servant who said she loved working from home because it allowed her to use her posh exercise bike more often has been handed a £20,000 bonus.
Sarah Healey, permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, was among top mandarins who shared out £400,000, according to official documents.
The mother of three was already earning a £170,000 salary before the bonus – revealed by the Sun on Sunday newspaper.
Tory MP Philip Davies told the paper the payment was ‘completely inappropriate’ when so many were struggling to get by.
But the Government defended the payments, saying “It is right that staff are rewarded for hard work when they demonstrate high-level performance.’
Sarah Healey, permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, was among top mandarins who shared out £400,000, according to official documents.
Last September, amid efforts by the PM to kickstart the economy, Ms Healey told a tech conference she only wants her staff to go into the office two days a week so could continue using her Peloton bike.
Tory MP Philip Davies told the paper the payment was ‘completely inappropriate’ when so many were struggling to get by.
Last September, amid efforts by the PM to kickstart the economy, Ms Healey told a tech conference she only wants her staff to go into the office two days a week so could continue using her Peloton bike.
The upmarket bikes allow users to follow classes online from home and can cost around £2,000.
She said: ‘I have a Peloton and I can just get on my bike whenever I have a teeny bit of time.
‘That has been a huge benefit to my well-being – the lack of travelling time eating into my day.’
She told the London Tech Week event that meetings would still be held over Zoom, even for those working in the office, in a bid to stop male employees asserting themselves over their female colleagues.
She had previously hailed working from home as a ‘very, very good thing’ in terms of spending more time with her family.
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