The Government is bringing forward plans to relocate more than 20,000 Civil Service jobs outside London with plans for new hubs in England, Wales and Scotland.
Its target to move 22,000 Civil Service roles away from capital by 2030 has been accelerated. There are now plans to open second headquarters for several departments in Aberdeen, Darlington and Greater Manchester, while hundreds of jobs will be moved to Wrexham.
Ministers said it was a sign of the Government’s commitment to levelling up. It follows the high-profile decision by the Treasury to open an economic campus in Darlington in 2021.
The Department for Business and Trade plans to open a second headquarters in Darlington, while the Department for Science will open one in Greater Manchester.
will become the second headquarters of the Department for Energy Security alongside Salford. Meanwhile in Wrexham, the Department for Work and Pensions will recruit to fill 270 roles while the Ministry of Justice will put 50 officials there.
Cabinet Office minister John Glen said: “We are taking the long-term decisions to move government roles out of London so more people from our great towns and cities can play a direct role in changing this country for the better.
“We have already gone above and beyond our targets, bringing the best talent from every corner of the Ƶ into government roles, to make our civil service more efficient and representative of the wider public.”
Last week, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt met BusinessLive when he visited a lab at the University of Manchester and praised the city region's success in science and tech. He said: "Manchester has shown it can do stuff that turns heads all around the world."
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said: “Greater Manchester is steeped in a legacy of technological progress, rooted in the Industrial Revolution and long home to scientific pioneers like Alan Turing and Ernest Rutherford.
“By establishing our second headquarters here, we not only tap into a pool of exceptional talent but also ensure that policymakers responsible for the growth of science and technology live and work alongside a dynamic community of sci-tech leaders.
“It is important that the people we serve are placed at the heart of government and that policymakers represent the diversity of our communities. That is why the Places for Growth commitment is so vital in helping to ensure that we can grow our economy and deliver on the Prime Minister’s priorities.”
Welsh Secretary David TC Davies said: "More than 300 jobs moving to Wrexham is fantastic news for the economy of north east Wales. It shows once again the Ƶ Government’s commitment to improving how services are delivered to the public while bringing greater opportunity and jobs to areas across the country.
“There are already more than 30,000 Ƶ Government civil servants working in Wales and we will continue to relocate government roles outside London as part of our commitment to level up the Ƶ.”
Energy Minister Andrew Bowie said: “The announcement of a second headquarters for our Department in Aberdeen underlines the importance of North East Scotland in our Net Zero transition.
“An Aberdeen base puts those working in the department closer to those working in the crucial oil gas and renewables industries – both the companies and the tens of thousands of their workers who play a vital role in our energy supply – and I am delighted to see this happen.”
More than 16,000 civil servants have so far been moved from Whitehall. But the project has faced criticism, with the cross-party Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee warning this year that the Government has provided limited detail to justify the moves while also exaggerating the success.
