Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress the Government has made on the Places for Growth programme.
Answered by Michael Ellis
As part of Budget 2020, the Government committed to moving 22,000 Civil Service roles out of central London within the next decade. These roles will be moving to locations across the UK, including Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff, Darlington and Wolverhampton. 11 departments have announced their location plans so far.
Places for Growth is working closely with Government departments as part of the Spending Review and has early commitments to move up to 15,000 Civil Service roles by 2024/25. Additional plans for the relocation of roles will be finalised in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria his Department is using to assess possible relocations under the Places for Growth programme.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
At Budget 2021, the Chancellor announced that the Government’s new economic campus will be located in Darlington. There will be at least 750 roles based there, across teams from HM Treasury, the Department for International Trade, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Office for National Statistics. The Places for Growth relocation strategy prioritises skills and local talent over cost reductions, providing better value for money for the taxpayer. This is just one part of the Government’s Places for Growth programme which will relocate Civil Servants and public bodies, functions and departmental activities outside of London and the South East.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria are being used to evaluate value for money of possible relocations of Government offices under the Places for Growth programme.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has committed to ensuring that the administration of Government is less London-centric through the relocation of 22,000 civil service roles to locations across the United Kingdom.
Departments are taking into account a range of factors including their operating model, workforce and location analysis to assess possible locations for roles. The department will select places that they judge to have the skills, transport links and capacity to meet their needs and flourish in their chosen locations as well as ensuring locations are suitable for the long term success and sustainability of the civil service.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Places for Growth programme equality impact assessment.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has committed to relocating 22,000 roles from London across the UK, ensuring the Civil Service is representative of the communities it serves, bringing more diversity of thought into policy-making. The Places for Growth portfolio is at the heart of delivering this agenda.
Places for Growth has adopted an approach that is aimed to capture the broadest view of diversity and inclusion, whilst considering the characteristics protected under law. The portfolio is committed to ensuring that the focus of the portfolio and departments is much wider and remains committed to greater socioeconomic diversity, greater regional diversity and to create clusters and critical mass where we can effectively harness cognitive diversity to enable decision making.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Places for Growth programme does not disproportionately adversely effect (a) civil servants with protected characteristics and (b) non-departmental public body staff with protected characteristics.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has committed to relocating 22,000 roles from London across the UK, ensuring the Civil Service is representative of the communities it serves, bringing more diversity of thought into policy-making. The Places for Growth portfolio is at the heart of delivering this agenda.
Places for Growth has adopted an approach that is aimed to capture the broadest view of diversity and inclusion, whilst considering the characteristics protected under law. The portfolio is committed to ensuring that the focus of the portfolio and departments is much wider and remains committed to greater socioeconomic diversity, greater regional diversity and to create clusters and critical mass where we can effectively harness cognitive diversity to enable decision making.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Places for Growth programme on (a) civil servants with protected characteristics and (b) non-departmental public body staff with protected characteristics.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has committed to relocating 22,000 roles from London across the UK, ensuring the Civil Service is representative of the communities it serves, bringing more diversity of thought into policy-making. The Places for Growth portfolio is at the heart of delivering this agenda.
Places for Growth has adopted an approach that is aimed to capture the broadest view of diversity and inclusion, whilst considering the characteristics protected under law. The portfolio is committed to ensuring that the focus of the portfolio and departments is much wider and remains committed to greater socioeconomic diversity, greater regional diversity and to create clusters and critical mass where we can effectively harness cognitive diversity to enable decision making.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to identify rural areas with strong transport connections to urban centres as suitable locations for the Places for Growth programme.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Places for Growth was established to contribute towards the government’s levelling up aims and commits to relocating 22,000 civil service roles from central London to the regions and nations of the UK by the end of the decade.
Departments will decide on their locations taking into account a range of factors including their specific operating models, workforce and location analysis. Departments will select places that they judge to have the skills, transport links and capacity to meet their needs and flourish in their chosen locations as well as ensuring locations are suitable for the long term success and sustainability of the civil service.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what framework the Government uses to determine which civil service jobs are relocated to which locations.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Places for Growth was established to contribute towards the government’s levelling up aims and commits to relocating 22,000 civil service roles from central London to the regions and nations of the UK by the end of the decade.
The Government wants to increase senior policy and decision making roles in all regions and nations of the UK and therefore all UK Civil Service roles are in scope to relocate. Thorough workforce and location analysis will inform departments decisions, helping them to select places that have the skills and capacity to meet their needs and flourish in their chosen locations.
Plans for growth in York will be announced by the Cabinet Office in due course.
Asked by: Rachel Reeves (Labour - Leeds West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2021 to Question, what the specific boundaries are of central London where 22,000 civil servants will be relocated from; and which specific regions those civil servants will be relocated to.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to relocating 22,000 civil service roles from central London to the regions and nations of the UK by the end of the decade. A number of announcements have been made on Places for Growth locations. This includes the Cabinet Office establishing a second headquarters in Glasgow, a joint headquarters for FCDO in East Kilbride, DfT building on its presence in Leeds and Birmingham, and a new economic campus in Darlington. Further announcements for other departments will be made in due course.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of the relocation of his Department's civil servants to (a) Birmingham and (b) Leeds in each forthcoming financial year.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Department’s strategy for growing its presence in Birmingham and Leeds is focussed on relocating roles, not individuals, recruiting local talent in and around Birmingham and Leeds. Additionally, existing staff will be able to relocate to Birmingham and Leeds on a voluntary basis, continuing in their current role from a new location.
The cost of doing so is dependent on a number of factors including the proportionate mix of new starters and the relocation of existing staff, and the required changes in estate.
We are working with Government Property colleagues to source office solutions in both locations which may require different short and medium-term options. Separately we have actively consolidated our London estate as flexible ways of working lead us to having less reliance on traditional office space.
Better use of technology and innovative working practices will enable us to continue working effectively from multiple locations and minimise travel costs between offices.
The relocation of 650 roles to Birmingham and Leeds will support the local economies, creating jobs and supporting inward investment, as part of Levelling Up.