The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced plans to establish a second HQ in Birmingham and a northern hub in Leeds, as part of a pledge to create 650 roles in the cities.
The move is part of the Government’s commitment to move 22,000 Civil Service roles from London to communities across the UK by 2030 and to ensure half of senior civil service roles will be located outside of London by 2030.
It follows similar plans from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which said 500 officials will relocate to the West Midlands with a new headquarters in the city of Wolverhampton; and for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which is set to move half its staff to Manchester by 2025.
Around £65m has been allocated for the overall government hubs programme in 2021 to 2022 for office works and improvements.
The Birmingham DfT headquarters will include new ministerial offices. The news comes on the back of chancellor Rishi Sunak recently confirming that the UK’s first-ever infrastructure bank will also be based in Leeds.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: 'This is a historic move for the department and part of a significant wider culture change across Whitehall. Transport is absolutely vital to the local communities we serve and having hubs in major cities like Birmingham and Leeds will offer a fresh perspective on how we can better serve these areas.'
The DfT said it has already begun recruiting in Birmingham and Leeds, with 100 roles established so far.
DfT officials said: 'A recent study found that for every 10 public sector roles moved to a town under the Lyons Review of Public Sector Relocation in 2004, 11 private sector roles were created. The move of the 1,150 Met Office roles to Exeter was estimated to add £65 million to local gross value added.'
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