Whitehall departments are at risk of failing to get part of their funding in Rachel Reeves’ spending unless they decant hundreds of civil servants to other parts of the UK.
A major government shake-up will require more civil service jobs to be based in 12 locations outside London, delivering and developing government policy closer to the communities it affects.
The move is expected to provide a £729m boost for local economies across the UK in an attempt to bring government closer to communities.
The 12 growth areas are: Greater Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, Darlington, Newcastle and Tyneside, Sheffield, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast and York.
As part of the spending review, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden will write to all departments requiring them to relocate key roles and strengthen the government’s presence in 12 locations by 2030.
A government source has confirmed that success in the project by departments “will be factored into” their spending review settlement.
The source added: “We expect all London-based departments to set out ambitious commitments to relocate roles out of London as part of their spending review plans.”
To avoid nameplate-only efforts, there will be an expectation of 60 per cent working from offices as a minimum.
The plan is reflected in the movement of part of the Treasury to a new campus in Teesside in the North East of England.
The prime minister is understood to be keen to go further to enhance the impact of government in places across the country, so that the civil service has an active presence in communities across the UK 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.
Central government can’t solve the issues facing local communities from Whitehall alone. In pursuit of building real, sustainable links to the communities they serve, these changes are designed to ensure civil servants will work with the local community, service providers and local government to develop policy.
Source: independent.co.uk
