Thousands more senior Civil Servants and policy officials will be based in regional hubs in 13 towns and cities across the UK to collaborate with frontline workers and local leaders.
- New Government Digital and AI Innovation Campus and Energy Campus to be launched in Manchester and Aberdeen.
- Half of Fast Stream roles to be based outside London, creating end-to-end career opportunities so people can get to the top without ever having to work in the capital.
Thousands of civil service jobs will be relocated to 13 regional government hubs across the country, Pat McFadden has announced. The shake up will require more senior and policy roles to be based outside London, delivering and developing government policy closer to the communities it affects.
The plans will see officials working closely with frontline workers, facilitating greater understanding of the real issues facing local services and people, and how central government policy can support them.
Changes will be introduced so talented young people from across the UK are able to progress straight from school or university into the Civil Service and rise all the way up to the most senior roles, without ever having worked in Whitehall.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, said:
“To deliver our Plan for Change, we are taking more decision-making out of Whitehall and moving it closer to communities all across the UK.
“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.”
As part of the spending review, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden has written to all departments requiring them to relocate key roles and strengthen the Government’s presence around the UK.
Departments will be assessed on their commitments to the programme as part of the spending review. As well as increasing the number of officials working in Greater Manchester and Aberdeen, roles will be created in Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Glasgow, Darlington, Newcastle and Tyneside, Sheffield, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast and York.
The changes are projected to bring £729m in local economic benefits to these areas between 2024 and 2030.
New Regional Government Campuses
Under the plans and to accelerate the delivery of the Missions, three major new Government campuses will be created, with multiple departments moving skilled roles to the same town or city to boost collaboration – creating multi-disciplinary workforces to solve local issues and improve services for working people across the country.
The first two of these, the new Government Digital and AI Innovation Campus and Energy Campus, will be in Manchester and Aberdeen.
Manchester is already home to the second HQs of DSIT and DCMS, as well as a key base for GCHQ. The new campus will harness the city’s reputation as a global digital hub. The government has announced plans to develop a new building in Ancoats in Manchester with the potential to host 7,000 civil servants in the city region.
Aberdeen is the site of the new HQ for GB Energy and DESNZ’s second HQ. The city is synonymous with the energy industry. The new campuses will partner with local government and universities to deliver the government’s missions, improve the talent pipeline into Government and boost growth and opportunity.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:
“Greater Manchester has always been a centre of innovation and collaboration, and the new Government Digital and AI Innovation Campus will carry on that tradition. The Campus will create opportunities for people in Greater Manchester to enter a career in the civil service, and is set to become an important part of our digital ecosystem. We look forward to working with Government to ensure its success.”
Joe Manning, Managing Director at MIDAS, Manchester’s Inward Investment Agency, said:
“The selection of Greater Manchester for the Digital and AI Innovation Campus confirms our importance in the UK’s tech landscape and validates our position as the UK’s most AI-ready city.
“This investment will strengthen our standing as a prime destination for digital talent, creating opportunities for professionals across our city-region while harnessing our existing pool of skilled talent.
“Our thriving tech ecosystem will drive national digital transformation while accelerating our city-region’s economic growth momentum.”
Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, said:
“The new Manchester Digital Campus will be transformational to our city. We have been working closely with this Government to bring forward this flagship digital campus to Ancoats that will bring 7,000 quality jobs to Manchester, building on the success of growing Government digital and AI cluster already in the city and turbocharge our plans for economic growth in digital, AI and cyber sectors.
“This is great news from the Cabinet Office delivering on their ambition to connect Whitehall with local communities outside of London. Locating Government jobs in Manchester is a boost for our residents, and also helps national government deliver better services, tapping into our growing and talented workforce and helping get stuck in with real life issues that can improve services, lead to better Government and improve lives.
“Over the last decade Manchester has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and one of fastest growing tech and digital ecosystems in the UK. The new digital and AI campus will accelerate that and attract more businesses to the UK to help grow the economy. We are excited to work in partnership with National Government to deliver this transformational change.”
Supporting Senior Civil Service Careers Outside London
To ensure those based outside of London have equal professional growth and development opportunities, with full end-to-end careers, the Government will locate 50% of UK-based Senior Civil Servants in regional offices by 2030.
This will be supported by a new approach to the Fast Stream programme with at least 50% of placements offered outside of London, meaning for the first time future senior leaders on the Civil Service graduate scheme will be able to progress without ever needing to work in the capital.
A new ‘Career Launch Apprenticeship’ programme will also open for applications this Summer, starting in 2026. The Level 3 Business Administrator apprenticeship programme will train up future civil service managers based in Birmingham and Manchester, as well as London.
New secondment schemes will also be launched with Civil Servants placed directly with local authorities, building links within regions, and ensuring those delivering policy, experience first hand the work of local government and the services they provide.