Thousands more civil servants are set to be moved out of London in a “radical reform” of the state, the Government has said.
Some 12,000 Government jobs will be shifted from the capital to new regional “campuses” across the country.
Under plans announced on Wednesday, 11 Government office buildings in the city will also close in a bid to make £94million of savings a year by 2032.
Among those set to shut is 102 Petty France, one of the largest civil service offices in the capital and the work place of around 7,000 people at the Ministry of Justice, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Government Legal Department.
The Department of Health and Social Care’s office at 39 Victoria Street is also on the list for closure.
Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said the measures were about “taking more decision-making out of Whitehall and moving it closer to communities all across the UK”.
Departments will be expected to submit plans for relocating staff as part of the spending review due to be completed on June 11.
The move will see two new major “campuses” created, one in Manchester focused on digital innovation and AI and another in Aberdeen.
Manchester is already home to major offices of the science and culture departments, while Aberdeen houses the new Great British Energy headquarters.
Other roles will be created in Darlington, where parts of the Treasury are based, as well as Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, Newcastle and Tyneside, Sheffield, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast and York.
The Government hopes the changes will bring £729 million to the local economy by 2030.
Mr McFadden said: “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.”
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Around 80% of civil servants – more than 400,000 people – already work outside London, but the most senior mandarins tend to be based in the capital.
Under the new plans, half of senior civil service roles will be based outside London by 2030.
Mike Clancy, the General Secretary of union Prospect, which represents civil servants, said: “Hundreds of thousands of civil servants already work outside of London, and we welcome the assurance that government is looking to both increase and empower these roles.
“The announcement of new thematic hubs outside of London is encouraging, but the Government needs to provide more clarity on the role of Arm’s-Length Bodies based outside of London which employ a number of unique specialist roles, especially amidst the uncertainty of the ongoing ALB review.
“We have been here before with similar announcements, if this one is to be different government needs to work closely with unions both on specific relocation plans and on the wider civil service reform agenda.”
The Government has previously pledged to cut the total number of civil servants in an effort to make the British state “leaner”.
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, also welcomed the proposals to move more staff out of London.
But he added: “There will also be uncertainty for the thousands of civil servants affected by the office closures announced today.
“We need to hear quickly from the departments affected how this will be managed, not least how they will be affected by the office closures, relocation of roles out of London and reduction in headcount all happening at the same time.”
Rachael Burford
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