Bradford businessmen launch petition to secure 22,000 public sector jobs to 'level up' the city

It was announced in March 2020 that the civil service jobs would be relocated from London to the regions, although no indication of which cities and towns would benefit has yet been given.

The government's plans include an 'economy campus' for 750 officials in a location that has yet to be revealed, with thousands more public sector roles distributed across the north.

Coffee shop manager Matthew Crowther and creative agency director Jac Morton have now launched a petition to lobby the government to guarantee that Bradford will receive a large number of the devolved positions - arguing that the city's need for investment and employment opportunities is acute.

Mr Crowther, who works at Tiffin Coffee in Bradford city centre, believes there is a potential base for up to 3,000 civil servants if the planned Jacob's Well development goes ahead. The public service hub, which has been backed by Bradford Council but has yet to be built, has previously been earmarked as office space for police and council officers and health services.

He also points out that the city has a young, diverse workforce and a centre which has struggled for trade and footfall since large employers moved out.

Their Change.org petition needs 100,000 signatures to be debated in parliament.

"This is a good opportunity for Bradford, and we need some of these jobs to boost the city," said Mr Crowther.

"We've already lost around 1,000 HMRC jobs to the new hub in Leeds. Bradford is one of the youngest cities in the north, and we have a diverse skills base. We are at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse, but compared to other cities we've been left behind. There is talk of levelling up the north and the south, but there needs to be levelling up within the north itself.

"The core cities, Leeds and Manchester, get a lot of jobs and investment, but the smaller cities are left out. There needs to be fairer distribution."

While Mr Crowther is optimistic about regeneration projects such as the One City Square office development, Bradford Live entertainment venue and the new market, he sees a large city centre-based workforce as vital to restoring vibrancy.

"It would bring more people into the city centre from Monday to Friday, and that lunchtime trade for the cafes, shops and restaurants. It would have a massive knock-on effect.

"We've lost a proportion of the workforce in the last few years and there has been an effect on businesses, with less footfall."

Mr Crowther and Mr Morton have secured initial support from the city's MPs, as well as Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe and chief executive Kersten England.

"We really need the MPs to sponsor us, as they are the key players. We want them to speak up in parliament and make sure Bradford gets a proportion of these jobs.

"The transition is supposed to be completed by 2030 so we really need to lobby for Bradford. We need 10,000 signatures initially, then another 100,000 for it to be spoken about in the Commons. It will be a fair bit of work and we need people to get behind the campaign and give our young people jobs and a future."

To sign the petition, click here.