The Department for Transport has announced plans to create a second HQ in Birmingham and a northern hub in Leeds as part of a Government commitment to level up all parts of the UK, which it says will see 650 job roles created in the cities by 2025.
The Government said the move is part of its commitment to diversifying the Civil Service and ensuring decisions are rooted in the communities it serves, and is the latest step in the drive to move 22,000 Civil Service roles from London to communities across the UK by 2030.
Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, 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.”
Transport Minister Chris Heaton-Harris continued: “Our department has a key role to play in this government’s drive to level up across the country. Having hundreds more roles based outside of London will not only bring an economic boost for Birmingham and Leeds, but also ensure we are delivering the changes people around the country want.”
The Birmingham headquarters will include new ministerial offices, with ministers expected to spend a significant amount of time there as the Government works to rebuild the UK.
The DfT has already begun recruiting in the two cities, with 100 roles created so far. This includes senior civil servant positions, which otherwise would have been based in London, with attracting senior figures to these locations said to be key to the success of the initiative.
The Government intends that half of senior Civil Service roles will be located outside of London by 2030, addressing the current imbalance with the majority of senior roles being London-based.
It said the announcement will bring economic benefits, with new spending power of those civil servants working in and around the areas. Evidence of past relocations of civil servants shows that bringing public sector roles to an area also stimulates the creation of private sector roles, investment in office space and opportunities for local businesses to supply services. The move of the 1,150 Met Office roles to Exeter was estimated to add £65 million to local gross value added.
