Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is their policy to encourage the dispersal of public sector jobs from London to other regions in the UK; and if so, how this is being implemented by the British Transport Police.

The Government’s commitment to locate more Civil Service roles out of London and into the regions and nations of the United Kingdom was contained in the 2017 Manifesto, affirmed in the Industrial Strategy White Paper and most recently in the Government Estate Strategy, published in July 2018.

To deliver on this commitment, the Cabinet Office is co-ordinating activity under the Places for Growth programme. This programme will take a place-based approach to relocating roles that ensures we have the skills and capacity in the right places to enable organisations and cities to flourish

No new public bodies may be created with a base in London and the South East of England and the location of all new public bodies must be agreed in collaboration with the Places for Growth Programme.

British Transport Police currently do not have a policy about dispersing jobs from London to other regions of the UK. However, British Transport Police continuously review where its resources should be located in light of its national responsibility.