Civil Service Jobs: Relocation

Cabinet Office – in the House of Commons at on 27 October 2022.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Luke Pollard Luke Pollard Shadow Minister (Defence)

How many civil service jobs he plans to relocate from London to the south-west of England in the remainder of this Parliament.

Photo of Brendan Clarke-Smith Brendan Clarke-Smith The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office

The Government are committed to relocating roles out of London and to increasing and spreading opportunity, providing an economic boost to cities and towns across the UK. We have already relocated more than 8,000 roles and will relocate 15,000 by 2025. Around 1,200 of those roles will be relocated to the south- west by 2025.

Photo of Luke Pollard Luke Pollard Shadow Minister (Defence)

The south-west is a great place to invest, and the Land Registry and the Valuation Office Agency are already prospering in our city. Will the Minister look ahead not only at allocating existing civil service roles, but at those we will develop in the future? Plymouth is building out a world-leading capability in autonomy, which has the potential to create huge numbers of jobs if we can create a cluster of Government and private sector expertise in one place.

Photo of Brendan Clarke-Smith Brendan Clarke-Smith The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office

We currently have around 43,570 civil servants working in the south-west and, when I checked this morning, around 755 jobs are being advertised there. I can certainly reassure the hon. Gentleman that Plymouth is well represented in the Cabinet Office now.

Photo of Kevin Foster Kevin Foster Conservative, Torbay

It is always good to hear that the town of my birth is well represented in any Department. The Minister will be aware that moving civil service jobs into coastal communities, particularly into our town centres, can help to kick-start regeneration. What plans does he have to look at doing that in Torbay?

Photo of Brendan Clarke-Smith Brendan Clarke-Smith The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office

Of course, my hon. Friend is right: this Government are committed to levelling up not just in the north of England, but across the whole country, ensuring that everybody has opportunity wherever they are. That is why we are ensuring that we create jobs and opportunity everywhere in the country, including in constituencies such as his.