Thousands of civil service jobs to be moved from London to Leeds, York and Sheffield
Thousands of civil service jobs are set to be moved from Whitehall to York, Leeds and Sheffield, as the Government seeks to “better reflect the country it serves”.
The Cabinet Office has named 13 towns and cities across the UK, including the three in Yorkshire, as locations for government roles to be shifted outside of London.
It says the move is projected to bring £729m worth of economic benefit to the 13 areas by 2030.
The changes were announced by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, who is seen as one of the most powerful Cabinet ministers and Sir Keir Starmer’s right-hand man.
The Yorkshire Post understands the Prime Minister is particularly keen to increase the impact of government across the country, so that the civil service has an active presence in communities.
Mr McFadden said: “To deliver our plan for change, we are taking more decision-making out of Whitehall and moving it closer to communities all across the UK.
“By relocating thousands of civil service roles we will not only save taxpayers’ money, we will make this Government one that better reflects the country it serves.
“We will also be making sure that government jobs support economic growth throughout the country.
“As we radically reform the state, we are going to make it much easier for talented people everywhere to join the civil service and help us rebuild Britain.”
There are currently more than 40,800 full time equivalent roles in Yorkshire and the Humber, with 13 major government departments having a presence in the region.
This includes NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care and the National Wealth Fund in Leeds, with almost 15,000 civil service jobs in the city.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told The Yorkshire Post that Leeds will continue to be a base for his department even after the abolition of NHS England.
Leeds Central and Headingley MP Alex Sobel said: “This is a hugely positive announcement that will lead to substantial benefits for jobs and the economy in Leeds.
“Labour in government is rebalancing the UK economy by redistributing power and resources away from London to the North of England.”
Government departments now will submit plans for how many roles they plan to move to each of the locations as part of the summer spending review, which will set departmental budgets going forward.
Luke Charters, York Outer MP, urged the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to move jobs to its York base.
He said: “This is a genuine game-changer for the North; bringing high-quality, future-facing jobs right to the heart of our region.
"With that in mind, I’m encouraging the Government to seize this momentum and bring additional Defra roles to York, a city ready to lead on issues such as flooding and our natural environment.”
The Cabinet Office plans to close 11 central London offices, with at least 12,000 jobs shifted out of the capital.
Changes will also be made so talented Yorkshire youngsters are able to progress straight from school or university into the civil service and rise up to the most senior roles, without ever having worked in Whitehall.
To help this, the Government has pledged to locate 50 per cent of UK-based senior civil servants into regional offices by 2030.
And half of fast stream programme placements - the most common way for students to get civil service jobs after university - will be offered outside of London.
Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “We have long advocated that getting civil servants more opportunities outside Whitehall in local government will bring huge benefits.
“The individuals will gain new perspective on working in delivery and joining up across silos to improve outcomes, and local authorities will have access to additional talent and their experience of central government.”