Number of Government jobs to be moved to Greater Manchester
Under the shake up, civil service roles will be shifted outside of London, delivering and developing policy closer to the communities it affects
Greater Manchester has been named as one of 13 locations where more Civil Service jobs will be moved in a boost for the local economies.
Under the shake up, government roles will be shifted outside of London to towns and cities in all four nations of the UK, delivering and developing policy closer to the communities it affects.
The move is projected to bring £729 million worth of economic benefit to the 13 growth areas by 2030.
The Government will also establish a new Digital and AI Innovation Campus, harnessing the city’s reputation as a global digital hub and building on the Government’s established presence - Manchester is already home to the second HQs of DSIT and DCMS, as well as a key base for GCHQ.
Government campuses involve departments moving skilled roles to the same town or city to boost collaboration - bringing civil servants with different skills and expertise but the same policy or delivery focus, to solve issues and improve services for working people across the country.
The new campus will enable partnership with local government and universities to deliver the government’s missions, improve the talent pipeline into Government and boost growth, skills and opportunity.
Successful campuses have already been established in Darlington - the Economic Campus, and Sheffield - the Policy Campus.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat 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.”
Currently, 10,100 civil service workers are based in Greater Manchester, with the City of Manchester home to over 8,275 roles. 14 major Government departments have a presence in the Greater Manchester region.
Thousands more government jobs will be moved to the 13 towns and cities across the UK, which have been named today.
Government departments now will submit plans for how many roles they plan to move to each of the locations as part of the spending review.
Changes will be introduced so talented young people from across the UK are able to progress straight from school or university into the Civil Service and rise all the way up to the most senior roles, without ever having worked in Whitehall.
To ensure those based outside of London have equal professional growth and development opportunities, with full end-to-end careers, the Government will locate 50% of UK-based Senior Civil Servants in regional offices by 2030.
This will be supported by a new approach to the Fast Stream programme, which is the Civil Service graduate scheme, with at least 50% of placements offered outside of London.
The Prime Minister is keen to further enhance the impact of Government in places across the country, so that the Civil Service has an active presence in communities and contributes to local growth and job creation.
The plans will see more roles working closer to frontline services, facilitating greater understanding of the real issues facing local services and people, and how central government policy can support them.